PORK producers say they are calm yet remaining vigilant as human cases of Japanese encephalitis virus continue to rise.
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NSW Health has confirmed that five NSW residents have contracted the mosquito-borne virus, several residents have undergone testing, and case numbers are expected to increase across the state in the coming days.
Blantyre Farms director Edwina Beveridge, said her drove of pigs were yet to be affected, but precautions had been implemented to protect her staff.
"We have made sure we've got short grass around our pig farms so that there are no mosquito breeding grounds, and we've checked that we don't have any puddles of water lying around," she said.
"We're also making sure our staff wear long-sleeved shirts and mosquito repellent."
While Ms Beveridge is aware of fellow producers combatting outbreaks on their farms, she is "not stressing" about the unfolding situation yet.
"The biggest drama with the virus is actually the people side of things," she said.
We imagine Australians will continue to support the industry.
- Edwina Beveridge, Australian Pork CEO
"Of course, no one wants to have a disease in their pig herd, but it's not the be-all and end-all in respect to pigs, it's much more about the people."
Industry association Australian Pork has been supplying updated information to producers in regards to the outbreak, and says it is working with the government to secure an ample supply of vaccines for on-farm staff.
Australian Pork CEO Margo Andrae said while the association was monitoring the situation closely, she was confident that the impact on pork production and supply would be minimal.
"Because of the ongoing threat of African swine fever in the Australian pork industry, our producers are already incredibly vigilant around biosecurity on-farm," she said.
"We aren't anticipating huge impacts to the supply chain with this virus, while [Japanese encephalitis] runs its course during mosquito season."
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Both Ms Beveridge and Ms Andrae emphasised that the virus cannot be contracted by eating the meat of an infected animal.
NSW Health has also stated that the virus cannot be caught by eating pork or other pig products and that only mosquitoes can infect animals and humans.
"We really want to make it clear to Australians that pork is safe to eat," Ms Andrae said. "We imagine Australians will continue to support the industry by continuing to choose quality Australian pork."
Symptoms among people are similar to flu and include a high fever, headaches, stiff neck and vomiting. NSW Health encourages the public to take extra precautions when outside, especially at dawn and dusk, and close to wetland and bushland areas.
Simple actions include reducing skin exposure with longer clothing and applying mosquito repellent.
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