BEIJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- An outbreak of African swine fever has been identified in the city of Xuancheng, eastern China's Anhui Province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said Monday.
Among 308 pigs on a farm in the Xuanzhou district of the city, 152 were confirmed to be affected and 83 died, the ministry cited a report from the China Animal Disease Control Center.
Local authorities have initiated an emergency response mechanism to block, cull and disinfect the affected pigs.
The outbreak is now under effective control, said the ministry.
African swine fever is a highly contagious, viral disease that infects pigs. It does not affect humans or other animal species.
As of Saturday, more than 38,000 pigs had been culled nationwide since the first outbreak was discovered in Liaoning Province last month, ministry spokesman Guang Defu said Sunday.
