The Dominican Republic will kill tens of thousands of pigs after outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in eleven provinces, authorities said on Monday.
Authorities sent samples from pig farms across the country to laboratories in the United Stated after farm animals died in three provinces.
On Friday, the government confirmed the presence of the virus in the country.
African swine fever is an infectious viral disease in domestic and wild pigs. The disease can result in death, but animals can also recover from it.
So far, authorities worldwide kill entire pig populations when African swine fever is detected.
Julio Cesar Estevez, director of the Ministry of Agriculture in the Northwest region, told Reuters that the pigs would be killed and buried in pits to try to contain the spread of the illness.
Estevez said brigade members would also confiscate and kill pigs raised privately for personal consumption.
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