9G—Lancaster farming, Saturday, August 26,1978
Concern grows over African swine fever outbreaks
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
The nation’s hog producers
have been urged to be on
guard for African swine
fever (ASF) by, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture
(USDA).
The deadly swine disease,
which cannot be transmitted
to human beings by either
direct contact or by con
sumption of pork or pork
products, has broken out in
the Dominican Republic and
poses an immediate threat to
hog production in the
Southeastern United States
and could conceivably
spread to other regions.
Typifying the concern over
the disease is the American
Farm Bureau which wants
the U.S. to help Brazil wipe
out an outbreak of African
swine fever there before the
highly infectious disease
spreads to this country.
In a letter to Secretary of
Agriculture, Bob Bergland,
Allan Grant, president of the
American Farm Bureau
l Federation, called on the
IU.S. to offer Brazil “ex
panded control and
eradication assistance.”
Grant said the nearly
always fatal swine fever is
also found in the Dominican
Republic and is suspected to
have spread to Haiti, but it is
“virtually out of control” in
Brazil. Grant urged the U.S.
to request the Brazilian
government to appropriate
sufficient indemnity funds to
encourage reporting of the
disease and depopulation of
infected herds
The farm leader also
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J & A STOVES
Ju Box 175
Blue Ball, PA 17506
at Blue Ball Machine Works
called Tor additional
research to determine if the
bard-to-kill virus can enter
this country on coffee, cocoa
beans or other imports. The
disease is spread primarily
through infected pork
scraps m raw or improperly
cooked garbage fed to swine
and may be carried m
clothing, equipment,
vehicles and possibly by
ticks.
-The U.S. Department of
Agriculture has an
emergency eradication
program involving strict
inspections and quarantines
if swine fever breaks out in
this country.
“With ASF only 125 miles
from Puerto Rico, the
danger of this feared swine
disease entering the United
States ha£ greatly in
creased,” says Dr. F.J.
Mulhem, administrator of
USDA's Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service
(APHIS).
Mulhem emphasized the
danger posed by feeding raw
or improperly cooked
garbage to swine, which is
permitted in some Nor
theastern states. Pork
scraps from infected pigs
can carry the live ASF virus.
If such scraps are fed in
garbage that has not been
thoroughly cooked, the virus
can be passed on to
susceptible swine, causing
an ASF outbreak.
“In states where feeding
garbage to swine is per
mitted, regulations require
anyone feeding garbage to
cook the garbage at 212
degrees lor 30 minutes to kill
disease-causing virus and
bacteria,” said Mulhem
“Cooking garbage is par
ticularly critical now that
ASF is so close to the United
States. All it takes is one
infected pork scrap to start
an outbreak.
ASF was found in Brazil in
June and has spread rapidly
in that country. It was
confirmed in the Dominican
Republic on July 8. The only
other introduction of ASF
into the western hemisphere
occured in Cuba in 1971 and
resulted in the loss of over
one-third of that country’s
swine before it was
eradicated.
“The ASF virus found in
Brazil and the Dominican
Repubhc may have caused
milk illness initially before
gathering strength. Our
major concern has been the
ASF virus that can kill 100
per cent of affected swine m
a week, but this milder form
of ASF could be even more
dangerous. It may enter the
United States and spread
unchecked before it kills
enough swine to make itself
known.”
Mulhem stated that since
there is no vaccme for this
disease, the only effective
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OCTOBER 1,1978 ON NEW
JOHN DEERE TILLAGE
EQUIPMENT AND USED
TILLAGE EQUIPMENT
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Lancaster, PA
717-393-3906
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Mohnton RD2, PA 19540 SHOT26ER6ER S
{n 2is «JJST ' EQUIPMENT
Elm, PA
PIKEYILLE
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Oyster Dale Road
Oley RD2, PA"
215 987 62,7
way to prevent ASF from
spreading' unchecked is to
find cases early and
eradicate the ’disease
quickly. To do this,
APHlSofficials are asking
all swine owners to inspect
their animals daily for signs
of disease and report
suspicious conditions im
ELMER M, SHREINER
T/A
Good’s Feed Mill
R.D.I, NEW PROVIDENCE, PA. PHONE (717) 786-2500
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New Holland PA Lynnport.PA S,lv o e [^ e ’ P c l^ 962
717-354 4191 215-298-3270 215-257-5136
mediately to local, state or
federal veterinarians.
Symptoms of ASF closely
resemble those of hog
cholera and may include,
high temperature,
weakness, tendency to
huddle together as if cold,
red blotches on the skin,
higher than usual death
NOW - AFTER SEASON FINANCE
\ WAIVED TO APRIL 1,1979 ON*
NEW JOHN DEERE PLANTERS
AND USED PLANTERS
B
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215-287 9643
STANLEY A. KLOPP
INC.
Bernville, PA
215 488 1510
losses, little or mo response
to antibiotics.
“Prompt reporting of
disease conditions will make
all the difference in stopping
African swine fever,” said
Mulhem. “We need the help
of all hog raisers in the
surveillance effort.”
M.S. YEARSLEY
&SONS
West Chester, PA
215 696-2990
mm inc.
Chapman Equipment
Center
Chapman, PA
215-398-2553