October 16, 2014

China braces for possible entry of African swine fever

With the help of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, China is doing all it can to prevent the African swine fever (ASF) from entering the country.

The ASF, which has spread widely in Africa and some parts of Europe, is one of the most severe and highly contagious viral infections of domestic pigs and wild boar.

Until 2007, the disease was confined to Africa. It later surfaced in Georgia, brought there through waste from a ship that had sailed from South-East Africa.

The disease quickly spread throughout Eastern Europe, eventually reaching the European Union in 2014.

As no vaccine has yet been found against ASF, the only way its spread can be prevented is through strict controls of animal and pork movements into the country.

And that has China really worried. About half of the world's pig population is in China and human movement between China and these infected countries has increased hugely in recent years. It now has the highest number of tourists travelling overseas and returning to China, therefore increasing the risk of importing contaminated meat.

Thus, in July China partnered with FAO in launching a Technical Cooperation Program (TCP) project to increase the preparedness, and develop strategies for the prevention and control of the disease in China.

This is the first FAO project to deal specifically with the threat of an ASF incursion. The main aims are to improve the overall national level of preparedness for ASF through capacity-building activities on risk assessment, diagnostic capacity and epidemiology and awareness campaigns for farmers and veterinarians.

The project will focus on organizing in-country training activities for laboratory diagnosis, carrying out active surveillance in risk areas and outbreak investigation at national and provincial levels.

An important aspect of the project will be dedicated to strengthening the national ASF laboratory coordination mechanism and networking. By providing opportunities for the exchange of technical expertise and ways of improving communication across borders, experts will have an increased capacity to develop an effective ASF emergency preparedness plan.