African swine fever (ASF) is an incurable viral disease of pigs but does not pose a threat to human health. There are many ways that ASF can spread from one part of the world to another, or from one premises to another. The following guidelines for keeping pigs healthy are especially important for reducing the chances of spreading ASF. Do …
Sheep and Wool Supply Plan
The United States is fortunate that foot and mouth disease (FMD)—a highly contagious, devastating viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals—has not occurred in the country since 1929. Secure Food Supply Plans, including the Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan, were developed to assist producers, transporters and food processors in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak in the U.S., namely …
Updates on African Swine Fever
*Updated March, 2023. African swine fever (ASF) has the potential to destroy the U. S. pork industry by killing millions of pigs if it enters the country. A study from Iowa State University projected that if ASF spread to the United States and was not controlled within two years, the pork industry would lose $50 billion over ten years. Even …
An Unwelcome Sign of Summer: Vesicular Stomatitis
Imagine looking forward to spending time with your horses during the summer, but finding them drooling with blistered tongues and muzzles. Unfortunately, this is what some farmers and equestrians in southwestern and midwestern areas of the United States are experiencing this summer because of an outbreak of vesicular stomatitis (VS). VS is a zoonotic disease—caused by the VS virus (VSV)—and …
International Travel: A Disease Risk for Livestock
During October 2019, Australia’s agriculture minister cancelled a Vietnamese woman’s visa after authorities found 22 pounds of undeclared food products in her luggage. The luggage contained pork, quail, squid, pâté, fruit, eggs and garlic (Griffiths, 2019). International travel and trade increases the risks of introducing a foreign/exotic disease or pest into another country. Australia had to develop an extensive eradication …
Voluntary Sharing of Disease Data has Value
Biosecurity and surveillance are complementary. Health surveillance in human, plant, or animal contexts involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting health-related data. These data then inform what is done in terms of health programs and strategic communication. National surveillance systems often rely on the reporting of diagnoses of certain diseases to regulatory agencies. However, agricultural industries can find value in sharing animal …
Domino Effect of the African Swine Fever Outbreak
What do you do when an uncontrolled virus is rapidly sweeping the world’s largest pork producer, killing millions of pigs? Furthermore, how do you make people who are removed from the problem care about it? China is currently trying to answer these questions as they experience an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak, a huge threat to national and international biosecurity. …