African swine fever: “Early detection is key to controlling spread,” says EFSA

06 Nov 2019 --- Improved surveillance, communication and collaboration are key to controlling the spread of African swine fever (ASF) in Europe, according to a new risk assessment carried out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The assessment estimates the potential for the disease to spread across Southeastern Europe and was requested by the European Commission (EC) to support efforts incontrolling and preventing the spread of the disease in the region.

EFSA evaluated the possibility of spread among nine disease-free countries – Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.

The agency concludes that the chances of the disease spreading among these countries within one year of introduction are very high (66-100 percent). However, the chances of the disease spreading west into other EU member states within the same time frame are rated as very low (0-15 percent).

Control measures – which have been in place in the EU since 2014 – should continue to focus on the importance of early detection and preparedness, EFSA notes. In particular, it recommends:

- Rigorous surveillance, especially surveillance of wild boar and domestic pigs, which remains the most effective means for early detection of African swine fever.
- Measures to limit access of wild boar to food and further reduce boar numbers through hunting.
- Awareness campaigns for travelers, hunters, farmers, etc. to limit the risk of spread via the movement of people, as well as to assist with early detection.
- Communication and collaboration among national authorities and stakeholders to support awareness campaigns.
- Training activities for veterinary officers, other relevant bodies and hunters to increase the probability of early detection and effective control.
- Risk assessment of African swine fever in the south-eastern countries of Europe

ASF was detected in Serbia while EFSA’s assessment was being finalized. In the run-up to the summer months, the EC underscored the crucial importance of multi-sectoral cooperation to control ASF and prevent further spread across Europe. Extra vigilance and preparation are imperative, particularly “due to the peak of the disease during the summer season”, delegates at an EU meeting to discuss the contagious deadly viral disease affecting pigs and wild boars were told.

Nine EU member states are currently affected by the disease: Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania (wild boar and farmed pigs), Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Belgium (wild boar only), and Italy (Sardinia only – unrelated epidemic situation).

Meanwhile, the outbreak has caused mass disruption across East and Southeast Asia and had a significant impact on global markets, with prices of pig meat rising rapidly between February and May this year. 

The situation in the EU remains stable, notes the meeting of the EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council. However, since January 2019, the disease has continued to spread to vast regions of China and other Asian countries (Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia and North Korea), raising serious concerns in other countries such as the US and Canada.

Almost five million pigs in Asia have died or been culled because of the spread of ASF, according to reports by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in August. With FAO support, countries across the region are ramping up preparation efforts to prevent further spread of the disease. In this global epidemic, small-scale farms that lack the capital and expertise to mitigate the crisis are hit the hardest, FAO emphasizes. 

Edited by Gaynor Selby