China has confirmed a new outbreak of African swine fever in its northeast province of Heilongjiang, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said Wednesday.

On a local farm with 73,000 pigs in Mingshui County of Suihua City, 4,686 pigs were confirmed infected with the viral disease and 3,766 confirmed dead, the ministry said, citing a China Animal Disease Control Center report.

A team was dispatched to Heilongjiang immediately, and local authorities have initiated an emergency response to block, cull and disinfect affected pigs.

Transport of all pigs and related products out of or into the blockade zone is forbidden, the ministry added.

The ministry on the same day also said that China will carry out a comprehensive detection of African swine fever in pig slaughtering and the circulation of related products from February, in a bid to better prevent and control the disease, and decrease the risk of virus spread.

African swine fever is believed to infect only pigs, and no humans or other species have thus far been infected.

China reported its first case of the disease in August in the northeast province of Liaoning. Later outbreaks were reported in several other provinces.

(Cover via VCG)