While there are no cases of the deadly African Swine Fever Virus in Trinidad and Tobago, stakeholders in the local pork industry have been advised to be on the lookout.
This warning was issued by the University of the West Indies-School of Veterinary Medicine (UWI-SVM) and the Veterinary Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (MALF), at a stakeholder consultation on Thursday.
Professor Chris Oura of the School of Veterinary Medicine warned that once infected, the ASFV will kill the pig within 5 to 7 days, in a very horrible death as there is no cure and no vaccine for the virus “The Caribbean should indeed worry; if it gets into a country, it can spread dramatically.”
ASFV does not affect other animals or humans, but they could carry the virus to the pig population.
The country needs to be on high alert since the only control is slaughter; total destruction of the herd to safeguard from spread and re-infections, which will have a devastating impact on pig farmers’ livelihoods, food and nutrition security and trade.
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