National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority Deadly Pig Disease Virus Alert!

AFRICAN SWINE FEVER VIRUS (ASF) Current threat Papua New Guinea is on Red Alert Level. African Swine Fever (ASF) virus is a deadly disease of pigs currently sweeping rapidly across in our geographic region.

There is no vaccination or cure against this disease as the virus is very robust and difficult to treat. NAQIA is doing all it can to prevent and minimize the risk of this disease from entering our country.

Impact and Risks The social, cultural and economic impact ASF virus will have is very enormous if the virus gets here. It is capable of wiping out our country’s pig population including wild pigs.

Humans and other animals are NOT affected by ASF virus.

NAQIA is aggressively monitoring the situation closely and taking necessary steps required to mitigate the imminent threat of ASF for our country..

Where is ASF now? ASF virus usually was confined to the African and European regions. However, the disease crossed into our Asia-Pacific region for the first time in history from Europe into in China in early August 2018.(last year)

In just under one year ASF spread into 10 countries in our geographic region affecting; 1. China 6. Myanmar 2. Mongolia 7. The Philippines 3. Vietnam 8. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 4. Lao People’s Democratic Republic 9. Republic of Korea, and 5. Cambodia, 10.Timor Leste (September, 2019) Our nearest neighboring country, Timor Leste is the latest victim last month (September, 2019). The disease is spread through infected live pigs and pig meat or pork products like bacon, ham, sausage including certain can products.

What you can do? DO NOT bring pig meat or pork products ie, bacon, ham, sausage etc made from pork into PNG from overseas. DO NOT EXCHANGE FOOD from logging, tourist or commercial fishing boats at such locations. DO NOT DISPOSE or FEED PIGS with leftovers and waste (swill) from kitchen, restaurants from mining, logging, airlines, foreign shipping lines at such locations.

For more information contact:

The National Agriculture Quarantine & Inspection Authority

P. O. Box 741, Port Moresby, NCD, Papua New Guinea

Telephone: 311 2100

Mobile: 71003391 or 71003392 Hotline : 1801332

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/NAQIA-PNG-Biosecurity

Email:[email protected]