The African swine fever threat to Australia

Abstract

African swine fever (ASF) is not a new disease: its impact on domestic pig production in Africa was first documented 100 years ago. For most of the twentieth century ASF was considered a disease of Africa, with occasional incursions into Europe and the western hemisphere. However, during the past two decades, ASF has emerged as a truly global diseases, invading parts of Europe and spreading throughout Asia. By 2020, ASF had spread as far as Papua New Guinea. Why ASF has spread such distances so quickly is not well understood, however the movement of both live pigs and pork products undoubtedly is a major contributing factor. The role that wild pigs play in the spread and maintenance of ASF virus is a topic of ongoing debate. Adding to the complexity of the epidemiology of this disease, ASF virus can be transmitted by some tick species in particular ecosystems. Australia is vulnerable to an ASF virus incursion. The threat is further heightened by the uncertainty regarding whether our large and widely distributed feral pig population would become endemically infected, creating a barrier to eradication of the disease. Preventing an incursion of ASF virus relies on ongoing risk assessments based on where the virus currently exists, and the disease pathways for introduction. Within the Australian context, regulatory enforcement and surveillance of illegally important pork products is paramount to minimise the treat that ASF poses.