The County Government of Vihiga, through the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Blue Economy, has issued an advisory of a suspected African Swine Fever (ASF) within Sabatia Sub County, Vihiga County.
In a statement, the County Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Darlington Kadenge, notified the public that a pig farm in Vokoli sub-location, North-Maragoli ward, had lost 16 pigs out of a herd of 73, with the pigs having exhibited signs of ASF before succumbing between July 20, 2026, and August 6, 2026 adding that six more pigs have signs of the disease.
Kadenge reiterated that ASF is a highly contagious, lethal viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs with a mortality rate of up to 100%, emphasizing that while it is harmless to humans, it poses a catastrophic threat to global food security, pork production and farming economies, with there being no known treatment or vaccine for the disease.
He highlighted some of the signs and symptoms to watch out for in the identification of the disease, which include high fever of 40–42 degrees Celsius, extreme lethargy and weakness, loss of appetite and sudden weight drop, red or blue blotches on the skin (ears, snout, tail, abdomen), bloody diarrhoea and severe vomiting, and laboured breathing and coughing.
“Transmission of the disease could occur in different ways, such as direct contact of healthy pigs touching infected domestic or wild pigs, ingestion of contaminated food, food scraps or infected pork products, contaminated fomites spreading via vehicles, equipment, footwear and clothing and through bites from infected soft ticks,” said Dr Kadenge.
He further issued an advisory to pig farmers to enforce strict quarantine by housing all pigs in enclosed structures, restrict all movement by halting the transfer of pigs between different farms, markets and slaughterhouses, enhance biosecurity through sanitising footwear and clothing at every entry, cook pig feed thoroughly, and report deaths immediately and safely dispose of carcasses strictly under veterinary supervision.
“Traders and transporters are directed to abide by movement restrictions by complying with quarantine boundaries issued by veterinary authorities, to not trade sick animals and to enforce vehicle disinfection through power washing and chemically disinfecting all tracks and crates before and after hauling livestock,” added Kadenge.
He concluded by issuing a guideline to pork consumers to verify source outlets of the pork they consume, insist on inspection stamps and avoid suspicious meat by not buying or consuming pork from pigs that have died of unknown causes or were slaughtered at home.
By Yvonne Misango and Maureen Imbayi
