HANOI, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's southern Hau Giang province has been stricken by African swine fever (ASF), becoming the first locality in the country's Mekong Delta to be hit by the disease, local online newspaper VnExpress reported on Tuesday.

A total of 68 pigs raised by two households in Vi Thuy district have been infected with ASF, and then culled, the newspaper quoted the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as saying.

In Hau Giang, over 15,000 households currently raise pigs with a total pig population of some 160,000.

Since the first ASF outbreak was detected in early February in northern Hung Yen province, the disease has so far spread to 29 localities nationwide, mostly in northern and central regions, according to the newspaper.

ASF had occurred in 2,296 communes in 204 districts of 29 cities and provinces as of May 12 in Vietnam with more than 1.2 million pigs, or over 4 percent of the country's total pig population, being infected with the disease and culled, Vietnam News Agency on Monday quoted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as saying.

ASF is a severe viral disease affecting domestic and wild boars which can be spread by live or dead pigs and pork products, the World Organization for Animal Health said, noting that the ASF virus is harmless to human, but causes hemorrhagic fever in pigs and wild boars that is almost fatal.