China confirms African swine fever outbreak in Hubei province

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s agricultural ministry said on Tuesday it had confirmed an outbreak of African swine fever in central Hubei province.

The disease was found to have killed six of a combined 147 pigs on two neighboring farms in Wuxue city, the ministry said.

China has struggled to stem the rapid spread of the fatal disease, which has now been reported on more than 50 farms across the country.