DES MOINES, Iowa — There aren’t many silver linings in the cloud of African Swine Fever fear that hangs over the world’s hog industry, but one gleamed in Australia when a different disease broke out.
It was Japanese encephalitis, but due to heightened disease vigilance caused by the appearance of ASF in Asia and Europe, the industry was able to quickly react.
“Our preparation with ASF put us in really good stead,” said Rowena Davis of Australian Pork, responding to a veterinary panel at the World Pork Expo.
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“Completely different viruses. Completely different mechanisms of spread. But it put us in really good stead.”
Japanese encephalitis, which can spread from pigs to people, has not appeared in the U.S., but the industry wants to be ready if it does.
“We needed to understand how much is the U.S. at risk,” said Lisa Becton, of the Swine Health Information Centre, about her agency’s work on the foreign disease.
“Is it a northeast issue? Is it a southeastern issue? Does it depend on (the type of) mosquito?”
Diagnostics are being developed so the disease can be quickly identified. The possibility of a swine vaccine is also being investigated. There’s a human vaccine available, but nothing yet for pigs.
The swine information centre is itself the child of an unexpected disease outbreak. Many in the U.S. hog industry were stunned by the whirlwind of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus as it swept through North America during the mid-2010s.
The centre was set up to prepare for the next disease that might suddenly appear. If Japanese encephalitis arrives in North America, hog producers should be a few steps ahead compared to the PED outbreak, Becton said.
