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PETALING JAYA: China issued a ban on imported horses from Malaysia after African horse sickness was detected in the country.
Other equines and their products are also prohibited from entering.
The disease is believed to have spread from Thailand to Malaysia.
China will also step up inspection of vehicles from Malaysia to eradicate insects that could transmit the disease, Reuters said, citing an online statement from the General Administration of Customs.
China had said in April that it was testing horses in its border areas after the deadly disease was detected in Thailand.
Bernama had reported on September 5 that five horses detected with African horse sickness in Terengganu had been euthanized to prevent the disease from spreading.
The director of the State Department of Veterinary Services, Dr. Mohd Termizi Ghazali, said that this was the first case related to the disease.
“We discovered that all of these animals, ages seven to 15, became infected with the disease on August 27 after their blood samples were sent to the lab,” he told Bernama.
He added that to prevent the spread of the disease, the department had conducted several inspections and tests in various areas.
Termizi also emphasized that AHS will only infect horses and not humans.
