African swine fever now able to be investigated and diagnosed by Agriculture Ministry

The Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture now has the capacity to investigate and diagnose any suspected case of African swine fever within 20 minutes to two hours of collection of samples.

The Ministry says it is now utilising, among other techniques, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing.

With the detection of the African swine fever in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, local officials continue to place Jamaica in a state of high alert for this disease.

The African swine fever is being detected in the Western Hemisphere for the first time in approximately 40 years.

It is a highly contagious and deadly haemorrhagic disease of domestic and wild pigs capable of killing entire herds.

It can be spread through live animals, carcasses, pork products, contaminated feed, and fomites.

There is no treatment for African swine fever and there is no known vaccine available for its prevention and control.

Control measures therefore consist of strict animal quarantine and culling procedures.

Through its Veterinary Services Division, the Ministry says it has been collaborating with several stakeholders, including the Jamaica Customs Agency, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard, Marine Police, Passport, Immigration and Citizens Authority, the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association, and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), among others, in an effort to minimise the risk of entry of this devastating disease into Jamaica.

This is being done through increased border surveillance and intensification of screening/monitoring at ports of entry, close monitoring of international garbage at the ports of entry (airports and seaports) as well as intensified surveillance and early detection activities.

It says that additional preventative measures include improved collaboration in the area of diagnostics and working with other partners such as the World Organisation for Animal Health, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, USDA/APHIS and CARICOM.

Importantly, the Ministry says it is working with farmers, RADA and other stakeholders in order to strengthen on-farm biosecurity.

Pig farmers and all persons involved in pig production are being asked to implement strict biosecurity practices to help protect Jamaica's pig industry from this devastating disease

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