Category Archives: Foreign Animal Disease

African swine fever (ASF) has not entered the U.S. thanks to continuing efforts to prevent this deadly swine disease from reaching the country’s borders.

African swine fever (ASF) has been detected in over 50 countries in recent years. It continues to spread across Europe, Asia and Africa. Although this deadly disease of swine may seem miles away, the urgency to protect the U.S. swine herd from ASF has never been greater.

Pork production is a major U.S. agricultural industry with an estimated production value of $30 billion in 2022, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service. While never identified in the U.S., African Swine Fever presents a very real threat to the nation’s multibillion-dollar pork industry. USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) funding supports researchers developing surveillance, prevention and preparedness methods for this highly infectious animal disease.

Abstract: African Swine Fever: A Review of Current Disease Management Strategies and Risks Associated with Exhibition Swine in the United States

The US swine industry, including the Swine Health Information Center, continues to prepare for the possible incursion of Japanese encephalitis virus in pigs. The threat of JEV has prompted the USDA APHIS Veterinary Services division to issue a statement regarding related testing and preparedness. The statement also addresses the diagnostic submission process and USDA plans for further preparedness activities.

The Swine Medicine Education Center will hold four, two-day training sessions for the Certified Swine Sample Collector program. These trainings will be geared toward individuals with limited swine experience and will include visits to breeding and grow-finish facilities. Training takes place November 7 – 8, 2023.

In 2019, the Swine Health Information Center, with support from the National Pork Producers Council, received a grant from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service division to fund a multi-phase project including African swine fever field projects in Vietnam. Results of this now completed work help inform prevention and preparedness efforts for US pork producers and practitioners while also helping inform response and recovery efforts for the ASF epidemic in Vietnam.

Keeping U.S. animals healthy is a top priority for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). One of the agency’s many efforts is to prevent deadly foreign animal diseases like African swine fever (ASF) from reaching the U.S. while also preparing for a possible introduction of the disease.

This survey is an integral part of AASV’s and the swine industry’s efforts to convince USDA that oral fluids should be included as a sample type for surveillance and diagnostic use against ASF and possibly other foreign animal and emerging diseases. To evaluate its use for this purpose, USDA needs to better understand how oral fluids are currently being used in the swine industry. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. [Harry Snelson]

This survey is an integral part of AASV’s and the swine industry’s efforts to convince USDA that oral fluids should be included as a sample type for surveillance and diagnostic use against ASF and possibly other foreign animal and emerging diseases. To evaluate its use for this purpose, USDA needs to better understand how oral fluids are currently being used in the swine industry. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. [Harry Snelson]