Canadian Early Detection Surveillance Program Furthers Global Effort to Contain Spread of ASF

The Associate Director of the Swine Health Information Center says the expansion of a Canadian early detection African Swine Fever surveillance program further enhances efforts to keep African Swine Fever out of North America while helping ensure a rapid response if it is identified.

CanSpotASF, a program that has provided Canadian farmers and veterinarians with no-charge ASF rule out testing since 2020 for domestic pigs displaying symptoms that could indicate ASF, has been expanded to include feral pigs and Eurasian wild boar.Swine Health Information Center Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says programs like CanSpotASF strengthen North America's defense against African Swine Fever and contribute to the overall global effort to contain the infection.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:

When we look at North America as a whole, every chance we have to continue monitoring for introduction of ASF or even other diseases is really important so this program overall assists our global surveillance in one, trying to ensure that North America remains free of diseases like ASF but also helps us to try to identify when are the things changing and helps strengthen our disease detection and ability to respond should things be found early.

When we have combined surveillance, whether it be in the United States or Canada, it really does help strengthen the overall ASF-free nations' understanding and proving that they do not have the disease.Proof of freedom is important but also having aggressive monitoring to make sure, in the event should it ever be identified, we can do that very rapidly and take rapid steps to prevent any other disease introduction.

It does strengthen the whole region by having more surveillance that we can say we're doing on a routine basis to ensure we do have animals free of these damaging diseases.

Dr. Becton suggests it really is important to continue surveillance and to have a way to monitor and measure changes.Full details are available on the Swine Health Information Center web site at swinehealth.org.