RM100,000 emergency fund to combat ASF in Sibu, agencies urged to combine efforts

SIBU: An emergency fund of RM100,000 has been allocated to combat the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) that is plaguing the town.

In announcing this, Dudong assemblyman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (pic) also urged the relevant authorities to combine their efforts to prevent any further spread of infection.

Tiong said the money had been allocated to the Sibu Veterinary Services Department.

In a statement on Friday (March 11) following a 60-day closure order on the Sibu Municipal Council abattoir which had been affected by the disease, Tiong said the Fire and Rescue Services, Land and Survey, and Public Works Departments as well as the Sibu Rural District Council needed to take swift action.

"The Veterinary Services Department and municipal council also need to complete total disinfection of the abattoir within seven days for (its eventual) reopening and also to formulate standard operating procedures (SOP) to prevent future infection in the slaughterhouse, including sanitising transport vehicles," he said.

Additionally, the municipal council would also need to upgrade the relevant facilities in the abattoir to ensure that slaughtering of animals is done in a safe and hygienic environment geared to prevent the spread of ASF.

"This should ensure that consumers do not advertently buy infected meat, and abattoirs may reopen in the near future," Tiong added.

He suggested that the police should be tasked with supervising the strict implementation of SOP for abattoirs.

He said the police may invoke the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) while taking action.

Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP, recommended that pigs should not be kept penned for several days, but should be processed and slaughtered on the same day they are brought to the abattoir to avoid further hygiene problems.

ASF cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans. However, it is highly contagious among pigs, affecting both domestic and feral animals.