Philippines culls 7,000 pigs in outbreak of African swine fever

Infected pigs found in two towns near capital Manila, as country becomes latest to be hit by disease

The Philippines has reported its first cases of African swine fever, becoming the latest country hit by the disease that has killed pigs from Slovakia to China, pushing up pork prices worldwide.

The virus is not harmful to humans but causes haemorrhagic fever in pigs that almost always ends in death. There is no antidote or vaccine and the only known method to prevent the disease from spreading is a mass cull of affected livestock.