African Swine Fever Outbreak Spreads in the Americas

Published Aug 5, 2021

The Dominican Republic is currently suffering an outbreak of the African Swine Fever (ASF), beginning in July 2021, the first outbreak in the Americas in close to 40 years. As a result, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has advised countries in the region to strengthen efforts to keep out the deadly disease. According to the OIE, the recent outbreak began on the 1st of July, and there is a risk that it could spread to other countries in the region, including the US, a major global pork exporter.

According to the OIE, investigations are ongoing to ascertain how the disease entered the Dominican Republic. Two farms located about 200 kilometers apart were the first to be infected. Monte Crist province detected the ASF on the 1st of July, leading to the death of 827 animals. Another outbreak occurred in the Sánchez Ramírez province, beginning on the 14th of July, with 15 pigs dying to date. According to the Dominican Republic’s agriculture ministry, Sánchez Ramírez has 15K pigs, and Montecristi has 4.6K pigs out of 1.8 million nationwide. According to the OIE, the large variety of production and trade systems in the Americas pose unique challenges in tackling the disease.

Pig shipments to be restricted as inspections intensify

According to the Dominican Republic’s agriculture ministry, to contain the spread of the African Swine Fever, the Dominican Republic is limiting pig exports and mobilizing the military. Mexico and the US have also tightened border checks to avoid infections. The US tested 389 samples from Dominican pigs reared on farms and in backyards, and results indicated the presence of the disease in Sánchez Ramírez and Montecristi provinces. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), there is a risk that the ASF could spread to the US. As a result, the US and Mexico are intensifying airport inspections to stop travelers from entering with Dominican pork products that could carry the virus. The US is currently the second leading exporter of pork, and ASF poses a real threat to the country’s pig population.

According to the Mexican Agriculture Ministry, the country will collaborate with pork producers to improve sanitary measures and epidemiological surveillance following the ASF outbreak in the Dominican Republic. All Mexican ports, airports, and border crossings will reinforce animal inspections. The country will also increase inspections of kitchens and waste on commercial ships, cruise ships, and planes, along with sealing the waste for return to its country of origin or destruction.

The Dominican Republic set to slaughter pig population

The Dominican Republic will slaughter tens of thousands of pigs as the ASF outbreak has spread to 11 of the country's 32 provinces. Pig farmers will be paid the market price by the government for each of the animals slaughtered. Since there is no vaccine for the disease, the only way to stop ASF from spreading is by killing the entire pig herd in farms where it has been detected. According to the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Agriculture, brigades with biosecurity suits will handle the slaughtering and burying of the pigs in pits to contain the spread. Pigs reared privately will also be confiscated, and it is estimated that it could take approximately five months to eradicate the outbreak, resulting in losses of about USD 180 million. According to the OIE, the Dominican Republic, aided by the US and other nations, killed all of its 1.4 million pigs in 1978 to end its last African swine fever outbreak. In 2018, the ASF also destroyed 50% of China's hog herd, the world's largest, within a year of its first detection.