African Swine Fever in South-East Asia

  • How can African Swine Fever be detected, prevented, and controlled in endemic and endangered wild pig populations, vital to ecosystems and rural communities?

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a disease that threatens the health of not only endemic wild-pig species, but also predators that depend on them as an important protein source, and local communities that depend on them for their livelihoods as well as sustenance. As the spread of the disease intensifies in Asia, so have multi-agency and stakeholder calls for increased collaboration amongst government authorities and relevant experts to develop policies and plans that mitigate impacts on wildlife, livestock, and rural livelihoods. This multi-stakeholder team representing Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, the Philippines, and the broader Asia region, will develop a theory of change and technical assistance to identify and recommended multi-sectoral actions for surveillance, prevention, and control of ASF in wild pig populations.

OUR APPROACH: This working group brings together experts from across the region to collaboratively develop technical assistance materials to support an improved management plan to mitigate ASF’s impacts in wild pig species. The group will assist in the creation of low-cost and replicable surveillance systems to detect and control the disease; best practices and communications to increase multi-sectoral recognition; and complete a Red List re-assessment of one wild pig species in South-East Asia. Through the engagement of community partners, the group will develop technical assistance to test and equip stakeholders with new tools, technologies and approaches, ultimately capturing lessons learned in a science-based ASF management plan.

Team Status:

  • Ongoing

Goals

  • Develop a theory of change to identify priority actions for improved ASF monitoring, prevention, and control (including actions currently being implemented or not).
  • Increase the amount of ASF case data in target countries by demonstrating low-cost IT-based surveillance systems (media monitoring and a community-based One Health toolkit), using a wide variety of readily available, and often overlooked, data.
  • Compile all guidelines, tools, and plans that are used in focal countries for a regional ASF mitigation plan, evaluating their utility and replicability across Asia.
  • Inform government partners in each focal country of their role in responding to ASF, including how to use recommended guidelines and tools, as part of a One Health approach that informs the development a national science-based ASF mitigation management plan which also considers the recommendation of Red List re-assessment of at least one Asian endemic wild pig species.