African Swine Fever Prevention: Taiwan, China and Vietnam Plan to Sign MOU to Strengthen Laboratory Quarantine Procedure Technology
On the 6th, the Animal Health Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture, together with domestic animal and agricultural departments, held a seminar on African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease quarantine. On the African swine fever portion, the Animal Health Research Institute gave separate reports on laboratory quarantine technology and procedures, as well as the current quarantine situation, and has now drafted laboratory testing procedures, so that if an outbreak occurs in the future, suspected cases can be identified immediately and quarantine capacity can be expanded. On foot-and-mouth disease, there are currently no abnormalities in monitoring at livestock farms, meat markets and wild boars, and an application to the OIE to become a foot-and-mouth disease-free country can be made as early as July, with Taiwan, China expected to be officially removed from the list of foot-and-mouth disease-affected areas in 2020.
In addition, to strengthen domestic disease prevention efforts, Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung said that within 1 month, academics and professional groups will be invited to verify whether the various channels used by ministries under the Executive Yuan to block African swine fever are indeed effective, and to take stock of veterinary and quarantine manpower in preparation for a long-term battle; a memorandum of cooperation on African swine fever quarantine will also soon be signed with Vietnam, so that domestic quarantine procedures and quarantine technology can actually be tested in an affected area.
High positive rate detected in processed products; Chinasituation remains severe
The Animal Health Research Institute report pointed out that in the past, 5 sources and more than 3,000 specimens in total were tested, including: airport disinfection mats, illegally carried meat products, dead and sea-drifted pigs, rendering plants, and fishmeal imported from Thailand and Vietnam. The results showed that the items testing positive for African swine fever virus were mainly reprocessed meat products that had been smuggled through border checks. As of April 30, of the 1,463 border meat products submitted for testing, 54 items were positive for African swine fever, 52 from China and 2 from Vietnam, with processed products such as sausages accounting for about 80%; in addition, the positive rate detected in China in April was the highest of the past few months, reaching 10%.
Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng said in response that this shows the African swine fever situation in China remains severe, and that diseased pigs are not being properly destroyed in accordance with regulations, but instead flow into factories to be reprocessed into goods, becoming a channel for the virus to spread abroad. Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung also publicly appealed to China, hoping that China will strengthen entry and exit controls on processed products and work together with neighboring countries for human food security.
In addition, Huang Chin-cheng further stated that a memorandum of cooperation on African swine fever quarantine will soon be signed with Vietnam, to actually operate quarantine procedures and quarantine technology in an affected area and strengthen domestic disease prevention capacity; the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine has also cooperated with the Vietnamese government to place posters at airports prohibiting the bringing in of meat products into Taiwan, China, and visa issuance offices have also strengthened publicity to reduce the chance of Vietnamese spouses and workers bringing meat products into the country.
Scholars suggest quarantine should add dead pigs and establish safe transport procedures
At present, apart from 4 cases of sea-drifted pigs in the Kinmen area testing positive, no other positive cases have been detected among domestic dead pigs and sea-drifted pigs. Scholars at the seminar suggested that domestic quarantine of dead pigs should not only involve sampling and monitoring at rendering plants, but should also be expanded to direct testing of culled sows and dead piglets, and that training on the transport procedures for dead pigs should be strengthened to avoid spreading the virus during transport; in addition, domestic operators should also be encouraged to voluntarily submit suspected cases for testing, so that relevant units can respond early.
Animal Health Research Institute establishes domestic standard quarantine procedures Links domestic department resources to increase preliminary screening laboratories
On the domestic quarantine portion, the Animal Health Research Institute stated that it has established domestic quarantine procedures based on the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, setting standards for procedures from sample receipt and registration, sample processing, to viral nucleic acid detection, and stated that with existing manpower and equipment, it can process 200 specimens per day; in addition, the Animal Health Research Institute has also linked resources from 5 domestic veterinary medicine departments and the Agricultural Technology Research Institute, conducting African swine fever virus preliminary screening laboratory tests in January and April of this year respectively, with each school able to test about 100 specimens per day. In the future, when specimens appear in multiple places and at multiple points, schools can conduct preliminary screening, and positive cases can then be re-diagnosed at the Animal Health Research Institute, expanding quarantine effectiveness. However, scholars at the seminar also said that the training courses currently provided by the Animal Health Research Institute to schools are still insufficient, and the standard operating procedures still need more practice.