China has banned courier services from transporting pigs or uncooked pork products in an effort to prevent the spread of African swine fever.

A notice from the State Post Bureau said logistics enterprises have been instructed to pay special attention to areas where outbreaks of the disease have been reported and to report any packages they suspect may contain pork products.

Local postal bureaus should also work with customs authorities to strengthen checks on parcels from overseas to prevent pork products from epidemic areas entering China, it said.

As of Monday, 58 outbreaks of African swine fever had been reported in 14 provincial areas, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.