Haiti reported an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on Sept. 20. This is the first case of ASF virus reported in Haiti since 1984. Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic to its east. The Dominican Republic confirmed ASF on July 28.
The ASF infection was confirmed at the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory on Plum Island.
The outbreak started on August 25 near the border with the Dominican Republic, in the city of Anse-à-Pitre, on a farm with 2,500 susceptible animals.
“This new finding [in Haiti] is not unexpected,” said Andres Perez, University of Minnesota professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, during a discussion of the ASF situation in the Dominican Republic during the 2021 Leman Swine Conference on Monday.
The U.S. remains free of this deadly virus that affects pigs only and poses no human health implications.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
Dominican Republic Confirms Positive Case of African Swine Fever
Close All the Windows to Keep ASF Out
ASF in the Western Hemisphere: What’s Different 40 Years Later?
It’s Time to Batten Down the Hatches, Pork Industry Experts Say
Learn more about what the U.S. pork industry is doing to prevent ASF from entering the country.
