Virkon S effective for African Swine Fever biosecurity

LANXESS can offer Asian swine producers a proven disinfectant for preventative farm biosecurity and control measures

HO CHI MINH CITY,Vietnam and KUALA LUMPUR,Malaysia,Sept. 10,2018 -- With China reporting its first outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) on August 3rd,and with the heightened threat of this highly contagious disease spreading to Japan and the Korean Peninsula,specialty chemicals company LANXESS offers Asian swine producers the proven broad spectrum virucidal disinfectant Virkon S for ASF biosecurity prevention and control measures.

Having been independently tested for virucidal efficacy against ASF by the Institute of Animal Health,Pirbright,United Kingdom,Virkon S was found to be effective against ASF virus at a dilution rate of 1:800.

The test method employed included the presence of organic challenge and was conducted at low temperatures (down to 4 degrees Celsius) reflecting its proven performance and suitability for real world 'on farm' conditions.The study applied similar methodology to those tests which are used by the UK's Department for Environment,Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for assessing the effectiveness of disinfecting agents against notifiable diseases of swine.

"In addition,LANXESS is offering swine producers timely advice on the clinical symptoms of ASF and guidance on implementing enhanced biosecurity protocols across the range of possible infection vectors,including wild pigs and other animals,transport vehicles,housing facilities and personnel," explains Stephan Cho,Head of Market Segment Disinfection in the Material Protection Products business unit (MPP),at LANXESS. "Virkon S is a scientific breakthrough with performance characteristics that have defined biosecurity standards for over 30 years,making it the disinfectant of choice for swine housing,surfaces,equipment and footwear. It is especially effective in combating the spread of disease via transport vehicles," says Cho.

ASF remains a serious threat to swine producers,resulting in high levels of mortality and morbidity across Asian swine herds. With no effective treatment or vaccine available,veterinarians are recommending enhanced biosecurity measures and advising swine producers to urgently review and tighten their biosecurity protocols.

High user safety

Regarded as one of the most potent virucidal disinfectant agents,extensive investment to assess the safety of Virkon S shows that operators have no need for excessive personal protection during biosecurity procedures. For more information and details on Virkon S and biosecurity protocols please visit www.virkon.com.

LANXESS's MPP business unit is part of the company's Performance Chemicals segment,which generated sales of EUR 2.1 billion in 2016.

About LANXESS

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 9.7 billion in 2017 and about 19,200 employees in 25 countries. The company is currently represented at 74 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development,manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates,additives,specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.