The Executive Director of the Swine Health Information Center says ongoing federal, state and industry cooperation is critical to protect the North American Swine herd from the expansion of the global African Swine Fever epidemic. As part of its monthly enewsletter the Swine Health Information Center has released its December Domestic and Global Swine Disease Surveillance Reports.
SHIC Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg notes African Swine Fever has been identified in a finishing floor in Germany and in wild board 100 miles away from the last area of infection, Vietnam has reported a significant increase in infections since this time last year and China remains at risk.
Clip-Dr. Paul Sundberg-Swine Health Information Center:
I think all of this is a continuation of the global epidemic for African Swine Fever. We know, as best we can at this point at least, the probable risks that we are all under in North America and the primary effort here is how to mitigate those risks and make sure we do everything we can to close any of those open windows.
The issues about national biosecurity, whether Canada, the U.S. or Mexico continue that national biosecurity on the borders trying to keep ASF virus out of the countries should continue all the way to the farms because the ability to keep ASF out of any country in North America is a state, federal, industry cooperative program and none of those three can ensure that we don't get ASF by themselves.
So, we have to all work together on this and do the best we can to keep that virus out of the country as well as, should it slip through on the border, to keep that virus away from pigs because, if it does slip though, it doesn't cause infection if it doesn't reach a pig.
Source : Farmscape