CWSHIN Encourages ASF Rule Out Testing if African Swine Fever Symptoms are Observed

The Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network is encouraging pork producers to request ASF rule out testing if they detect any infection that produces symptoms similar to African Swine fever. The Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network has released its Swine Health Surveillance Report for the third quarter of 2021. The report is based on data collected from multiple sources.

CWSHIN Manager Dr. Jette Christensen says the five issues discussed this quarter included reproductive syndrome, typically abortions, sudden death linked to strep suis, pelvic prolapses, specifically rectal prolapses in grower pigs, salmonella infection and incidences of skin disease, which actually fell.

Clip-Dr. Jette Christensen-Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network:

It's quite noteworthy that four out of these five issues, the abortions, the Strep suis with sudden death, the skin syndromes or skin diseases that could have discoloring of skin and the salmonella that could cause bloody diarrhea could actually mask an early onset of African Swine fever.

The problem with African Swine Fever is that, when it first enters a herd, it can be very subtle so it can look exactly like one of those four diseases. It could have mortality or death rates within what you normally see so it's very hard to detect.

Eventually the mortality will increase so it will be detected in the herd but that could a couple of weeks, two, three, four weeks. In the meantime, that herd would be potentially spreading African Swine Fever to all of your contacts.