Emerging swine disease calls for biosecurity measures, says veterinarian of MU Extension



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The American veterinarian, Corinne Bromfield, said that American pork producers should be aware of the onset of a hog disease.

Chinese pork producers reported the 13th outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) on 6 September. He has appeared since August in several places of China hundreds of kilometers away from each other. According to Bromfield, this leaves researchers wondering what is happening from one region to another.

This is the first time that ASF appears in East Asia. concerns about the impact on the hog industry are overall strong. The United Nations called for an emergency meeting of animal experts on September 5 to stop the spread of the deadly disease.

Its devastating effects include high fever, anorexia, diarrhea, abortion, skin bleeding and death. Groups of pigs huddle and shudder together, breathe abnormally and cough. Pigs usually die within a week of infection. Call your veterinarian immediately if you notice high morbidity or mortality, discoloration of the skin or other signs of the disease in your flock, says Bromfield.

PPA spreads quickly from pig to pig through direct secretions, contaminated objects and ticks. No vaccine exists to control the disease. Culling remains the only control option. The infection could occur during the shipment of meat from one region or country to another, says Bromfield.

The PPA virus can contaminate pork products and remain in pork for a long time. Bromfield says he does not infect humans who eat contaminated pork.

"We do not have a PPA in the United States right now, but if it were to come here, early detection is our best chance to eradicate the disease," Bromfield said.

Pig foods made with ingredients from outside the United States could endanger American hogs.

"African swine fever is considered a disease limiting trade," says Bromfield. "Most countries have regulations prohibiting or controlling imports of live pigs and pork products from other countries."

Scott Brown, an economist at MU Extension, said the recent outbreak of African swine fever in China could have a huge impact on the hog industry at a time when hog prices are already low. It could also raise prices for US pork producers that could find new export markets. China produces and consumes half of the pork in the world, according to Brown.

Bromfield says that pork producers would benefit from a review of biosecurity practices on the farm now. She recommends that producers ask their feed suppliers for the source of their food and what biosecurity measures they use.

Veterinarians, engineers and economists at MU Extension are planning a set of biosecurity workshops in Missouri this winter. Look for updates on extension.missouri.edu.

Additional resources

• "Biosecurity for Today & # 39; s Operation", https://extension.missouri.edu/p/g2340.

"Train employees, others before livestock outbreaks occur" (press release from MU Extension), https://extension.missouri.edu/n/3123.

Source: Corinne Bromfield, 573-882-8181

For more than 100 years, the University of Missouri Extension has expanded its academic knowledge beyond the campus to all state counties. In doing so, extension has strengthened families, businesses and communities.

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