The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced today new efforts to help prevent the introduction and spread of African swine fever in the U.S. Through an outreach and awareness campaign called “Protect Our Pigs,” APHIS will support commercial pork producers, veterinarians, and pig owners with information and resources to help safeguard America’s swine population and the pork industry.
African swine fever is a deadly, highly contagious viral disease that affects both domestic and wild pigs. It does not impact human health but quickly spreads between swine populations. People can also unknowingly spread the disease on their clothing, farming equipment, or by transporting uncooked pork products. African swine fever has never been detected in the U.S. but has recently been confirmed in countries as close as the Dominican Republic and Haiti. There is no treatment or effective vaccine for the disease.