China MOA: ASF Reaches Sichuan Province & Wild Boar In Jilin, New Outbreak Yunnan

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African Swine Fever continues to rack up territorial gains in China with Sichuan Province becoming the 18th administrative region to report an outbreak since August 1st.   

Additionally, Yunnan Province reports a new outbreak and Jilin Province - which reported their first outbreak in September - now reports finding the virus in a wild boar

Although wild boar (and ticks they carry) are known vectors for ASF, and have played a large role in the spread of the disease in Eastern Europe, this appears to be the first detection of this type in China.

Three reports from the MOA:

African swine fever epidemic in Gao County, Sichuan Province

Date: 2018-11-16 09:13 Author: Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Press Office 

The Information Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced on November 16 that an African swine fever epidemic occurred in Gao County, Yibin City, Sichuan Province.

At 21:00 on November 15, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs received a report from the China Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center and was diagnosed by the China Center for Animal Health and Epidemiology (National Center for Animal Disease Research).

 A farmer from Gaoxian County, Yibin City, Sichuan Province Pig plague. The farmer has 40 live pigs, 16 onset and 10 deaths.

Immediately after the outbreak, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs sent a steering group to the local area. The local government has started the emergency response mechanism as required, and adopted measures such as blockade, culling, harmless treatment, disinfection, etc., to treat all the sick and culled pigs harmlessly. At the same time, all pigs and their products are prohibited from being transferred out of the blockade, and pigs are prohibited from being transported into the blockade. At present, the above measures have been implemented and the epidemic has been effectively disposed of.

And this:

Wild boar African swine fever epidemic occurred in Hanjiang District, Baishan City, Jilin Province

Date: 2018-11-16 18:38 Author: Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Press Office 

The news office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs was released on November 16th, and the wild pig swine epidemic occurred in the Hanjiang District of Baishan City, Jilin Province.

At 11:00 on November 16, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs received a report from the China Center for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, and was diagnosed by the China Center for Animal Health and Epidemiology (National Center for Animal Disease Research), and a wild boar test in the Hanjiang District of Baishan City, Jilin Province.

The result is positive for African swine fever virus nucleic acid.

After the outbreak, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the State Forestry and Forestry Bureau immediately dispatched a supervision team to the local area to carry out epidemic situation supervision and epidemiological investigation. The local authorities have started the emergency response mechanism according to the requirements, and carried out harmless treatment and disinfection measures for sick and dead wild pigs, strengthened inspections of local wild boars, strictly restricted the stocking of nearby pigs, and inspected the surrounding wild boar activity areas to all surrounding pig farmers. Conduct investigations and comprehensive disinfection. At present, the above measures have been implemented.

 And finally this:

Weixin County, Yunnan Province, detected the African swine fever epidemic

Date: 2018-11-16 19:39 Author: Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Press Office 

The Information Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs was released on November 16th. Weixin County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, detected the African swine fever epidemic.

At 14:00 on November 16, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs received a report from the China Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center and was diagnosed by the China Center for Animal Health and Epidemiology (National Center for Animal Diseases Research). A farmer in Weixin County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. African swine fever. The farmer has 1 pig, 1 disease and 1 death.

Immediately after the outbreak, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs sent a steering group to the local area. The local government has started the emergency response mechanism as required, and adopted measures such as blockade, culling, harmless treatment, disinfection, etc., to treat all the sick and culled pigs harmlessly. At the same time, all pigs and their products are prohibited from being transferred out of the blockade, and pigs are prohibited from being transported into the blockade. At present, the above measures have been implemented.

For years the fear had been that African Swine Fever would reach China - most likely seeping in from Russia (see FAO Risk Assessment African Swine Fever threatens People's Republic of China (excerpts below)). 

Possible pathways of ASF introduction into China are:

• transport-associated routes (TARs), including trucks, airplanes and ships carrying food contaminated with ASFV;
• legal or illegal introduction of infected animals (pigs or wild boar);
• contaminated foodstuffs and other legally imported goods;
• illegal imports of food products for private consumption or small-scale trade.

Furthermore, the Risk Assessment suggested:

• China’s northeastern region (Heilongjiang province) is where ASF is most likely to be introduced, followed by Inner Mongolia.
• Wild boar population density is the most relevant factor in the spread of the disease.
• The most likely regions for ASF spread are the northeast (Heilongjiang), followed by the central eastern area (Henan, Shanxi, Ammui, and Hubbei) and the southeast (Hunan). Surveillance for swine diseases in this region should be heightened.
• ASF is most likely to persist and become endemic due to the presence of wild boar populations interacting with susceptible domestic species, and lack of biosecurity in smallholdings.
• However, due to restrictions on hunting in China, hunters are not likely to affect the spread and persistence of the disease.

Unfortunately, the virus appears not to have read the above assessment, and instead of a cross-border incursion, followed by a slow and insidious spread across Northern and then East Central China - we've seen a blitzkrieg viral  assault that has spread across half of China in less than 4 months.

Imported contaminated food (or animal feed) remains the most likely source of infection, but that appears to have been aided and abetted primarily by human activities (legal & illegal transport of pigs, feeding swill, etc.)  - not wild boar - in these opening months. 

The almost inevitable detection of the virus in wild boar does mean that eradication becomes much more difficult, particularly if we start seeing additional reports from other provinces.

As we discussed yesterday in MOA Joint Statement On `Very Serious' Spread Of ASF, this unprecedented spread of African Swine Fever risks turning into a genuine national security issue for China, and the MOA and the Ministry of Public Security are adopting a hard line stance on enforcement of biosecurity rules and regulations.

Meanwhile, the bad news keeps on coming.