Haiti has reported an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) to the World Organisation of Animal Health (OIE), marking the first case of the virus in the country since 1984.
The news follows an outbreak of the disease in 11 states of its neighbouring country, The Dominican Republic, in July.
The ASF infection was confirmed at the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory on Plum Island, having reportedly started on August 25 close to the border with the Dominican Republic in the city of Anse-à -Pitre. Approximately 2,500 animals have been said to be susceptible to infection.
Andres Perez, University of Minnesota professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, said in a discussion at the 2021 Swine Conference surrounding the ASF situation in the Dominican Republic that the new finding in Haiti was ‘not unexpected‘.
