The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed cases of African swine fever in the Dominican Republic. According the National Pork Producers Council, the cases were found during a cooperative surveillance program between the U.S. and the DR. The U.S. is still ASF free.
“The United States has significantly bolstered biosecurity to protect the U.S. swine herd since ASF broke in China nearly three years ago and began spreading to other parts of the world,” said Liz Wagstrom, chief veterinarian with NPPC. “We are thankful for steps taken by the USDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including strengthened border inspection and the implementation of an active surveillance program designed to quickly detect and eradicate ASF. These measures are particularly important now that ASF has been detected in the Western hemisphere for the first time in approximately 40 years.”
Pork and pork products from the Dominican Republic are currently prohibited entry as a result of existing classical swine fever restrictions.
African Swine fever is an animal disease that affects only pigs, not human health.
You can learn more about NPPC’s ASF biosecurity here.
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Guarding against African Swine Fever
USDA is getting closer to an ASF vaccine