Taiwan becomes only Asian country free of three major swine diseases

Taipei, May 29 (CNA) Taiwan is now the only country in Asia free of African swine fever, classical swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease, after the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) declared Thursday that it is free of classical swine fever.

The last confirmed case of classical swine fever in Taiwan was reported in 2005 in Changhua County and no additional cases have been detected since, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).

In a press release, the MOA said that Taiwan was officially recognized by WOAH as free of classical swine fever during its 92nd general session, currently taking place in Paris.

The recognition highlighted Taiwan's strong animal disease prevention and quarantine capabilities and reaffirmed international confidence in its veterinary standards, the ministry said.

Taiwan stopped all classical swine fever vaccinations on July 1, 2023, and officially submitted its application for recognition to WOAH in August 2024, it said.

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) thanked former Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and previous administrations for their dedicated efforts in making Taiwan the only country in Asia free of the three major swine diseases.

Cho also thanked the public for cooperating with government policies and following epidemic prevention regulations.

Taiwan was hit by foot-and-mouth disease in 1997 and was declared free of it by WOAH in 2020.

Meanwhile, African swine fever spread from China in 2018 to nearby countries, including Taiwan, but Taiwan controlled the disease and was declared free of it last year.