"At the meeting" highlights the potential impacts of African swine fever

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In a special edition of "At the meeting", experts are consulted on the spread of African swine fever, making a virus so difficult to control and how countries manage to reduce its impact

The recent outbreaks of African swine fever in China have raised many questions about this serious disease and what is done to prevent its spread. In two new episodes of the podcast "At the meeting … honoring Dr. Bob Morrison", co-hosts the visit of Dr. Tom Wetzell, Dr. Gordon Spronk and Dr. Montserrat Torremorell with experts on the spread of the disease in others regions of the world. a hard-to-control virus, and how countries, including Russia, are succeeding in reducing its impact.

In the first segment, Dr. Liz Wagstrom, chief veterinarian of the National Pork Producers Council, discusses with the hosts the history of the disease and its spread from Africa to parts of Asia and Europe Eastern. "What makes it one of the most feared swine diseases in the world is that it is highly transmissible, has a very high mortality rate and currently has no vaccine," he says. -she.

Dr. Wagstrom examines the clinical signs of the disease and its rapid progression and explains what the US pork industry is doing to prevent the introduction of African swine fever in American hog herds. It also examines the measures that American producers can take to protect their herds.

The second episode features Brad Heron, Chief Operating Officer of Cherkizovo Group, one of Russia's largest fully integrated pork production companies. With 20 years of experience in large Midwest hog farms, Heron began work in Russia in 2014 and has since treated two major African swine fever epidemics, the first of which resulted in the loss of 85,000 head. He shares first-hand observations about how the virus occurs in infected pigs, how fast it progresses, and how it traces its source.

Heron also discusses the rigorous biosecurity protocols that were already in place prior to the outbreaks and how the Cherkizovo group improved its isolation and monitoring procedures thereafter. According to him, regular and rigorous tests are essential to prevent the disease from occurring and to control it during its discovery.

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