The USDA Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory has confirmed the presence of African Swine Fever in the Dominican Republic. Extension to Haiti is inevitable given uncontrolled border trade.
Importation of Products from this nation are prohibited by existing restrictions to prevent introduction of classical swine fever. The Customs and Border Protection Agency is increasing surveillance of flights from the Dominican Republic. Garbage and non-consumed food from aircraft will be disposed of by incineration to help prevent introduction of ASF. USDA has offered assistance to the Dominican Republic and Haiti that have a common border to test for ASF and to support control and eradication activities.
Should ASF be introduced into the U.S., the pork industry would most certainly be subject to export restrictions. It is reiterated that the approximately 10 million feral hogs, especially those on the eastern seaboard and Gulf states, represent the potential of becoming reservoirs of infection making eradication difficult. The situation in eastern Europe, and more recently Germany, illustrate the role of feral hogs in persistence and dissemination of African swine fever.