Movement of Contaminated Pork Products Presents Greatest Risk for Spreading ASF

The Executive Director of the Swine Health Information Center warns the illegal movement of pork remains the greatest risk of spreading African Swine Fever.The Swine Health Information Center's November Global Swine Disease Monitoring Report, released as part of its monthly enewsletter references several incidents over the past month where illegal pork products have been seized at ports of entry.

Dr. Paul Sundberg, the Executive Director of the Swine Health Information Center and a member of the Swine Innovation Porc Coordinated African Swine Fever Research Working Group, says the most effective way of moving ASF is through contaminated pork products.

Clip-Dr. Paul Sundberg-Swine Health Information Center:

One of the lessons that we need to learn from ASF continuing to spread around the world is that it moves very well down the highway at 60 miles an hour in contaminated pork products.There have been cases in Germany for example that have jumped the whole country of Germany from the east side to finding a single case in a commercial pig operation on the west end of Germany.

There are feral pig and commercial infections in the east side of Germany that have been zoned and controlled but all of a sudden there pops up another infection on the west end of Germany and another one up northwest up by the Netherlands.

The conventional wisdom is that that had to be moved by people and the most efficient way of moving ASF is by contaminated pork products.While African Swine Fever is not an issue for humans, it's not a human health issue at all and the pork that may be marketed is safe to eat, it is not safe for pigs to eat.

The Swine Health Information Center's Global and Domestic swine disease surveillance reports can be accessed at swinehealth.org.