Australian airports found with Swine fever virus

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Almost half of the pork samples collected from the Australian Airports have tested positive for the swine flu virus.

Australian chief veterinary officer Mark Schipp has said that a two-week probe conducted at Perth, Sydney, Melbourne Tullamarine, Brisbane and Avalon airports revealed this.

Altogether 418 samples were collected, of which 202 contained DNA fragments of the virus. 12 months earlier also, similar seizures revealed that six pork products had swine fever fragments.

Authorities confirmed that screening of passengers had been intensified.

Detector dogs and x-ray screens have been put to use.

African swine fever virus is untreatable, infectious and affects domestic pigs, bush pigs and warthogs.

The agriculture department has banned imports from international travellers besides banning live pig importation.

Airlines have also been asked not to serve pork foods on flights.

Schipp said that the disease has been afflicting the region for long but has considerably grown in recent years.

The Australian pork industry has said that the spread of the swine fever can cost them up to $2 billion.

Earlier a Vietnamese woman was deported as she didn’t declare about carrying more than 4.5 kg pork in her luggage, along with eggs, quails and squid.

Over 50 per cent of the consumed pork is imported in Australia.

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