Beijing: China’s agriculture ministry said on Monday two new African swine fever outbreaks were reported in Shaanxi and Guizhou provinces.

The new case in Shenmu city of Shaanxi province killed 19 of 33 pigs present on a farm, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement on its website.

The case in Guiyang city of Guizhou province killed 5 of 26 pigs present on a farm, it added.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative agent of African swine fever (ASF). The virus causes a haemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in pigs, but persistently infects its natural hosts, warthogs, bushpigs, and soft ticks of the genus Ornithodoros, with no disease signs.