Taiwan has confirmed African swine fever (ASF) on a pig farm located on the western coast of the island nation. This is the first ASF occurrence in Taiwan, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Because of increased mortality rates, samples were sent to the National Reference Laboratory for diagnosis on Oct. 21.
On Oct. 25, the outbreak was confirmed as ASF.
Control measures have been implemented since the samples were sent out for diagnosis. There were 301 susceptible pigs on the affected farm with 109 ASF cases noted and 106 deaths, the report said. The remaining 195 pigs on the farm were euthanized.
According to WOAH, all appropriate response actions are being taken in Taiwan to limit the spread.
“Taiwan is approximately 100 miles (160 km) off the southeastern coast of mainland China, separated by the Taiwan Strait,” the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) reports. “However, the closest point is much narrower, with some smaller Taiwanese-controlled islands, like Kinmen, being just a few miles from the Chinese mainland. Taiwan’s northernmost island is only 79 miles (128 km) from the northernmost island of the Philippines, Mavulis Island in Batanes.”
Taiwan had recently become the only country in Asia formally recognized by WOAH as free from both ASF and classical swine fever. This dual recognition was solidified in May 2025 during the WOAH General Assembly, the report said, following Taiwan’s self-declaration of freedom from ASF on July 2, 2024. The ASF-free status is nullified by the recent diagnosis, SHIC reports.
The Central Emergency Operations Center for African Swine Fever said the farm in Taichung, where the initial case was reported, remains under a lockdown after testing positive for traces of the ASF virus, the Taipei Times reports. The military has taken over sterilization operations at the site from the Taichung City Government, which has twice tried and failed to accomplish the task, the center said.
Citing the World Organisation for Animal Health regulations, the center said that Taiwan must have no ASF cases for three months after the last reported incident before its ASF-free status can be restored.
