BEIJING — China has reported African swine fever outbreaks in five provinces, but the situation is generally under control in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Sept 2.

As of Sept 1, more than 38,000 pigs had been culled nationwide since the first outbreak was discovered in Liaoning province last month, ministry spokesperson Guang Defu said.

Culling and disinfection treatments have been completed in Liaoning, Henan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces, where a total of 37,271 pigs were culled, while another 1,264 pigs had been culled in Anhui province as of Sept 1, Guang said.

African swine fever is a highly contagious, viral disease that infects pigs. It does not affect humans or other animal species.

As of August 28, 3,235 cases of the disease have been reported in 11 other countries, Guang said, adding the massive outbreaks in neighboring countries mean the risk of the disease crossing in China again cannot be underestimated.

The ministry will continue to take measures to prevent any further spread of the disease, including shutting down live pig markets in the disease-infected regions, banning transporting live pigs from these regions and intensified monitoring of slaughterhouses, according to Guang.