THE country has reported African swine fever outbreaks in five provinces, but the situation is generally under control in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said yesterday.

As of Saturday, more than 38,000 pigs had been culled nationwide since the first outbreak was discovered in Liaoning Province last month, ministry spokesperson Guang Defu said.

Culling and disinfection treatments have been completed in Liaoning, Henan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces, where a total of 37,271 pigs were culled, while another 1,264 pigs had been culled in Anhui Province as of Saturday, Guang said.

African swine fever is a highly contagious, viral disease that infects pigs. It does not affect humans or other animal species.

As of Aug. 28, 3,235 cases of the disease had been reported in 11 other countries, Guang said, adding the massive outbreaks in neighboring countries mean the risk of the disease crossing into China again can not be underestimated. (Xinhua)