PRAIA, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cape Verde's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment announced in a statement on Monday an outbreak of African swine fever on Boa Vista Island, following laboratory tests.
"This is a highly contagious viral disease affecting pigs, causing significant economic losses, but it poses no risk to human health," the statement explained.
The ministry also stated that in response to the current situation, immediate actions have been implemented on the ground to raise awareness and provide information about the disease through a multidisciplinary team from the ministry, municipalities, and health services.
Among the measures taken, the most crucial is the strengthening of inspection and control over the movement and transport of pigs and their byproducts from the infected area to other parts of Boa Vista Island and other islands.
Additionally, the ministry announced a health plan to minimize the risk of disease spread on the island, along with medium- and long-term measures to control the outbreak in accordance with international standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health.
