African swine fever (ASF) is advancing rapidly in several countries, affecting the food security and livelihoods of some of the most vulnerable populations of the world. To cope with this situation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) call upon all countries of the world to join forces in order to control this deadly disease that attacks pigs.
The advance of ASF poses a threat to food security and economic and rural development. The Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) developed the Initiative for the Global Control of ASF, which aims to promote national, regional and global partnerships to strengthen control measures and reduce to the minimum the effects of this complex disease.
So far, ASF affects 51 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Amid the difficult situation arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, ASF continues to spread, thus aggravating the existing health and socioeconomic crises. “Our goal is to prevent the spread of this disease and ultimately eradicate it, using scientific data, best practices and the latest international standards”, said the Director General of FAO, Mr. QU Dongyu.