#13,914
While China and Vietnam contend with rapidly spreading African Swine Fever, since September of last year Japan has been dealing with the return - after an absence of 26 years - of Classical Swine fever.
Both diseases are highly contagious among pigs, and can be economically devastating for pork producers, but neither disease poses a direct human health threat.Today Japan's MAFF announces their 11th farm (and 9th in Gifu Prefecture) to test positive for the disease.
Confirmation of suspected affected animals of swine fever in Gifu Prefecture, about (11 domestic case was)
2019 March 7,
the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Today, suspected affected animals of swine fever has been confirmed in a pig farm in Gifu, Yamagata Prefecture.
We are taken all possible measures for the quarantine measures for the disease.
The farm has to refrain from the movement of breeding pigs from the time the suspicion of swine fever has occurred.
Interview in the field, thank you for your cooperation as strictly refrain from such that there is a risk that cause the spread of the disease.
1. Overview of the occurrence farm
Location: Gifu Prefecture Yamagata City
breeding situation: 1,296
2. Background
(1) Gifu Prefecture, March 6 (Wednesday), received reports from the farm that there are pigs of loss of appetite, animal health inspectors have conducted a site inspection.
(2) the same day, because the suspicion of swine fever is caused by the inspection at the Livestock Hygiene Service Center, was subjected to a thorough examination, today (March 7 (Thursday)), has been confirmed to be a suspected affected animals of swine fever directly below.
(Continue . . . )In addition to the 11 farms now affected, as of their last update (March 1st), the OIE lists:
As of the 27th February, 841 wild boars (105 dead and 736 captured) in Gifu prefecture have been tested and 197 (62 dead and 135 captured) were found to be positive for CSFV by RT-PCR since 13th of September. 70 wild boars (15 dead and 55 captured) in Aichi prefecture have been tested and 11 were found to be positive (1 dead and 10 captured) for CSFV by RT-PCR since 14th of September. Among the other prefectures, 224 wild boars (205 dead and 19 captured) in 40 prefectures were tested and all were found to be negative for CSFV by RT-PCR since the 14th of September.
Today the UK's DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) released their 2nd update on the Classical Swine Fever outbreak in Japan.
Situation Update #2
28 February 2019
Ref: VITT/1200 CSF in domestic swine, Japan
Classical Swine Fever in domestic swine in Japan
Disease report
Japan reported Classical swine fever (CSF) for the first time since 1992 in Gifu province on a farm of 610 fattening and breeding pigs in September 2018 (OIE, 2018), with the first wild boar case detected a week later. Between then and January 2019 CSF cases were regularly reported to OIE, but mostly in wild boar in either Gifu prefecture or the neighbouring Aichi prefecture as part of surveillance activities.
However, new outbreaks in domestic swine have been reported in January and February 2019, including three outbreaks outside of Gifu and Aichi prefectures; in Osaka, Nagano and Shiga prefectures. As of 21st February there have been seventeen CSF outbreaks in domestic swine with a further 170 cases reported in wild boar, since the start of the CSF outbreak in Japan.
To date, the Japanese Veterinary Services have ruled out the occurrence of African swine fever (ASF) in this outbreak, and in the country, although there is evidence that ASF-contaminated pig meat was brought into the country from China in the luggage of a passenger in November 2018 (ProMed, 2018).
Situation assessment
A total of seventeen outbreaks have been reported in domestic pigs, with the most recent on the 18th February. Three of the most recent outbreaks were reported outside of Gifu and Aichi in Osaka (600 pigs), Nagano (2,300 pigs) and Shiga (700 pigs). These commercial premises were identified as a result of epidemiological investigations that identified links with a farm that had earlier reported CSF in Aichi, and had supplied piglets to these three farms . At these linked premises, only a few animals were found with clinical signs and no mortality was observed prior to stamping-out. However, it will be important for Japan to ensure that there is no onward transmission of virus to wild boar in these regions where there has been no previous reports of CSF in wild boar or in domestic pigs.
Wild boar are found throughout most of Japan. The role of wild boar in the spread of CSF in the prefectures of Gifu and Aichi, and beyond, is being closely monitored. As of the 21st February, 795 wild boar (100 dead and 695 captured) in Gifu prefecture have been tested, and 170 (58 dead and 112 captured) were found to be positive for CSFV by RT-PCR since 13th of September. In Aichi prefecture, 59 wild boar (14 dead and 45 captured) have been tested and 10 were found to be positive (1 dead and 9 captured) for CSFV by RT-PCR since 14th of September. Among the other prefectures, 210 wild boars (197 dead and 13 captured) in 39 prefectures were tested and all were found to be negative for CSFV by RT-PCR since the 14th of September (OIE, 2019). All prefectures are requested to conduct CSF testing on dead wild boars.
Japan is not approved for the dispatch of fresh or frozen pig meat to the EU.
Conclusions
Currently, we consider there to be a very low likelihood of introduction of CSF virus from any affected country to the UK via various pathways, and the cases in Japan do not affect this risk level.
We continue to emphasise the importance of prompt reporting of suspect disease in pigs, and the implementation and maintenance of appropriate biosecurity measures, particularly considering the risk of disease spread by fomite transmission and strict compliance with the swill feeding ban.
We will continue to monitor the situation.
(Continue . . . )
DEFRA is admittedly far more concerned over the possible importation of ASF from Eastern Europe (see LINK) - where the virus has been spreading for more than a decade - and has made recent advances into central and west-central Europe.
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| Credit DEFRA ASF In Eastern Europe - Jan 2019 |
While animal diseases like CSF and ASF don't directly impact human health, their continued spread helps to erode food production capacity around the globe at a time when hundreds of millions remain undernourished.
According to the FAO's most recent report, food insecurity and world hunger continue to increase, making agricultural diseases such as ASF, avian flu, FMD, and others important detriments to human health as well.
The 2018 State Of Food Security And Nutrition In The World
RECENT TRENDS IN HUNGER AND FOOD INSECURITY
KEY MESSAGES
- New evidence continues to point to a rise in world hunger in recent years after a prolonged decline. An estimated 821 million people – approximately one out of every nine people in the world – are undernourished.
- Undernourishment and severe food insecurity appear to be increasing in almost all regions of Africa, as well as in South America, whereas the undernourishment situation is stable in most regions of Asia.
- The signs of increasing hunger and food insecurity are a warning that there is considerable work to be done to make sure we “leave no one behind” on the road towards a world with zero hunger.
