Scientists say quarter of all pigs could die of swine fever

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Mark Schipp, President of World Organization for Animal Health, briefs media in Sydney, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019, on the threat of African swine fever. Schipp says that the spread of the disease in the past year to countries including China, which has half the world\'s pig population, had inflamed a worldwide crisis. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

SYDNEY, Australia – The World Organization for Animal Health says around a quarter of the global pig population is expected to die from African swine fever.

Dr. Mark Schipp, the organization’s vice-president, told reporters in Australia that the spread of the disease in the past year to countries including China, which has half the world’s pig population, had inflamed a worldwide crisis.

Schipp says veterinary scientists worldwide are trying to find a vaccine for the disease, but that it’s a “complex challenge” because of the nature of the virus.

While the disease does not spread to humans, it is virtually 100% fatal once embedded in pig populations.

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