NMBM MOVES TO CONTAIN AFRICAN SWINE FEVER OUTBREAK IN SHERWOOD
Published: May 19, 2026<< BACK TO NEWS
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The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has moved swiftly to contain and manage an outbreak of African Swine Fever detected among pigs in the Grogro informal settlement in Sherwood area, while assuring residents that there is no risk to human health.
According to the Municipality’s Director for Environmental Health, Dr Patric Nodwele, municipal health officials were alerted yesterday to a mass mortality of pigs originating from the Grogro informal settlement.
"Upon arrival on site, our initial suspicion was possible poisoning. However, after engaging the State Veterinary Services and conducting the necessary tests, the final confirmed diagnosis was African Swine Fever,” said Dr Nodwele.
African Swine Fever is a highly contagious viral disease that affects pigs. The virus mainly originates from wild pigs and can spread rapidly among domestic pigs, particularly where animals roam freely and come into contact with infected wild pigs.
Dr Nodwele said preliminary indications suggest that freely roaming domestic pigs may have come into contact with wild pigs in the area, resulting in the spread of the disease.
To prevent further infections, the Municipality’s Environmental Health Practitioners, working together with the State Veterinary Services team, conducted community outreach and awareness campaigns in the affected informal settlement. Residents and pig owners were educated on the importance of containing pigs, improving animal control measures, and preventing the further spread of the disease.
Following the collection of samples for testing, municipal teams safely removed and disposed of the affected pig carcasses in accordance with health and environmental safety protocols.
The Municipality wishes to reassure residents that African Swine Fever does not pose a threat to human health and cannot be transmitted to people. However, community members have been strongly urged not to consume meat from dead or infected pigs.
The Municipality will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with veterinary authorities to ensure the outbreak remains contained.
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