The Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network is encouraging Canadian Pork producers and their veterinarians to summit samples from any animal that exhibits any of the symptoms of African Swine Fever for rule out testing. Last month the Dominican Republic become the first region in the western Hemisphere to be infected by African Swine Fever in more than 40 years, heightening concern in North America.
Dr. Jette Christensen, the Manager of the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network says the problem is African Swine Fever is slow moving and can be masked by frequently occurring common diseases that you would normally see.
Clip-Dr. Jette Christensen-Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network:
Really you want to detect it early so we have CanSpotASF. It's set up so if you have these more common diseases, diseases that cause skin coloring for example. Erysipelas is one of those diseases.
If you have sudden death, that is usually a septicemia caused by a bacteria or if you have pigs that are bleeding when you open them and you see that the intestines are all red and miscolored or they're bleeding in the skin or anywhere else, it could be one of these diseases that would mask the early cases of African Swine Fever. Then you can call your vet.
Your vet can actually initiate rule out testing at the laboratories, get materials sent in and you can get these pigs tested for African Swine Fever and then you know that you still only have the common diseases. There's no African Swine Fever. That's the option you have.
Source : Farmscape