Alert in Central America and Mexico on African Swine Fever Outbreak
image source- elonline.in
The International Organization for Agricultural Health (Oirsa) alerted Mexico and Central America on Thursday, July 29th about an outbreak of African swine fever ( ASF) detected in the Dominican Republic.
The El Salvador-based body urged the governments of the region to “intensify the inspection of products and by-products in ports, airports, and borders, to prevent African swine fever from spreading across the continent.”
The Oirsa pointed out that this outbreak was detected on July 28, 2021, in a small population of backyard pigs in two provinces of the Dominican Republic, and will cause “innumerable economic losses in the pig industry in that country.”
The agency said that the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety, and Quality (Senasica) ordered the reinforcement of zoosanitary inspection in all ports, airports, and borders of entry to the country, despite the fact that shipments of pork products and by-products from the Dominican Republic will not be allowed into Mexico.
Meanwhile, the Oirsa explained that African swine fever “is a serious viral disease that affects domestic and wild pigs”, it is “highly contagious, responsible for large economic and productive losses.”