ASF Pressure on North American Borders Continues to Increase

The Executive Director of the Swine Health Information Center suggests North America’s borders face unprecedented pressure as the numbers of cases of African Swine Fever continue to expand

As part of its March Enewsletter the Swine health Information Center has released its monthly domestic and global swine disease surveillance reports.

SHIC Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg notes African Swine Fever continues to spread in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, in the Caribbean.

“We’re under unprecedented pressure on our borders from this virus and everything that we can do is to our benefit because that’s biosecurity is a 24-7 deal“

 

 

“Over 900 outbreaks have been confirmed in the Dominican Republic so far.

“That virus continues to spread on that island and we’re trying to, we, the United States, USDA along with Canada and other partners that have an issue with African Swine Fever and health are doing everything they can do to help the island respond so we can contain that virus on the island until it can be better controlled.

“ASF continues in Romania, there are new outbreaks in eastern Europe.

“We’re probably doing a better job understanding the virus and understanding its transmission and its epidemiology but I think we’ve still got a long way to go with gaining control and that means that North America continues to be at risk and everything that’s going on in North America, in the U.S., in Mexico and in Canada is extremely important in keeping this virus out.

“We’re under, I think, unprecedented pressure on our borders from this virus and everything that we can do to make sure that we exclude the virus if possible.

“We certainly make sure that we don’t let the virus get onto farms and cause infections.  It’s to our benefit and again that’s a biosecurity issue that’s a 24-7 deal.”

Dr. Sundberg notes, there is some promise for the release of an ASF vaccine to be within months in Vietnam.
He says testing is going on now and the hope is that will happen.

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