Emergency preparedness and response to African swine fever in the People's Republic of China.

Abstract

The first recorded outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed in the People's Republic of China in early August 2018. By the end of July 2019, there had been 150 outbreaks of ASF in 31 provinces, including 146 in domestic pigs and four in wild boar. The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the prevention and control of ASF. The Chinese animal health authority promptly launched the highest-priority emergency response against this key animal disease; initiated an extensive surveillance network covering all provinces; formulated and promulgated supporting policies, such as compensation for culled animals and financial credit for affected producers; and established a joint coordination body for ASF prevention and control, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and involving a further 20 Ministries, including the Departments of Transportation, Customs and Market Supervision. All levels of local government undertook territorial management responsibilities and developed support policies to encourage all stakeholders to take part in ASF prevention and control. Furthermore, the Chinese Government developed a strategy that integrated both the legal and scientific aspects of ASF control, formulating and releasing a comprehensive policy for the whole pork production chain 'from farm to fork'. The plan included daily disease reports from the disease monitoring network, and adopted effective measures, such as blockades and culling, restricting live pig movements and implementing controls on swill feeding, to cut off viral transmission routes to the greatest extent possible.