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Stay Vigilant – ASF Now in the Western Hemisphere

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On July 28, 2021, USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced confirmed cases of African swine fever (ASF) in the Dominican Republic. Identified through a cooperative surveillance program, these are the first cases of ASF diagnosed in the Western hemisphere in approximately 40 years. Dr. Harry Snelson, Executive Director of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, encourages all veterinarians who see swine to stay vigilant. He says, "Experience has shown that it often takes weeks to recognize and diagnose the introduction of ASF into a naïve country. USDA has implemented an active surveillance system that tests samples submitted to the veterinary diagnostic labs designed to hasten the detection of ASF. This surveillance only works, though, if we actually submit samples to the lab."

AASV offers the following reminders for swine veterinarians:

  1. Watch for clinical signs.
    Clinical signs of African swine fever are not specific and can resemble many other diseases affecting swine. Signs might include
    • Lethargy and weakness
    • Decreased appetite
    • Fever
    • Red, blotchy skin or skin lesions
    • Diarrhea and vomiting
    • Increased mortality

  2. Report signs of any foreign animal disease (FAD) to your state and federal animal health officials.
    Immediately report animals with any sign of an FAD, including ASF, to your state and federal animal health officials. Timeliness is essential for early detection and preventing the spread of FADs, including ASF.

  3. Participate in ASF Surveillance.
    Include ASF on your list of differential diagnoses. Participate in USDA’s active surveillance program, which tests all case compatible submissions at no cost to the producer or veterinarian.

    The following selection criteria will be used to identify eligible cases for ASF and CSF surveillance testing at ASF and CSF VS Swine Surveillance-Contracted NAHLN laboratories. Any swine accession submitted is eligible for testing if:

    • One of the following tissue specimens can be obtained from all tissue submissions for other disease testing (in order of priority):
      • Tonsil
      • Spleen
      • Lymph node(s)
    • AND one or more of the following lesions or herd history is observed and/or reported:
      • Hyperacute septicemias
      • Skin discoloration
      • Hemorrhagic or swollen lymph nodes
      • Enlarged spleen
      • Kidney petechia
      • Epistaxis
      • Abortions, particularly with congenital deformities
      • Button ulcers in the colon
      • Tonsil pathology (tonsillitis, hemorrhagic, necrotic foci, etc.)
      • Undiagnosed central nervous system (CNS) cases (especially congenital tremors and nonsuppurative encephalitis)
      • Herd mortality greater than established baseline mortality and at least one other ASF- or CSF-compatible clinical sign in the barn
      • Other clinically, grossly, or histologically compatible cases that the pathologist submits due to suspicion of ASF or CSF

    Learn more about USDA’s Classical Swine Fever and African Swine Fever Integrated Surveillance Plan.

  4. Enhance biosecurity.
    Enhance your own and encourage producers to enhance their farm’s biosecurity procedures.

  5. Encourage producers to participate in Secure Pork Supply and create accounts in AgView.
    Secure Pork Supply is a business continuity plan for sites affected by movement restrictions, but not infected with an FAD, such as ASF. Encourage producers to enroll in the Secure Pork Supply at securepork.org.

    AgView is the pork industry’s free, opt-in technology from the National Pork Board, which promotes business continuity by making disease traceback and pig movement data available to the USDA and state animal health officials on day one of an FAD outbreak. Encourage producers to create an AgView account.

Find more resources for African swine fever prevention and surveillance on the AASV website at AASV FADs.

AASV Staff