Laboratory technicians at CVL doing investation

After thorough laboratory investigations done on 72 serum and 24 blood samples collected from pigs, Sierra Leone confirmed an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in November 2019.  

This is the first time that a national laboratory has confirmed the virus in the country without shipping samples abroad for investigation. So far, the ASF outbreak has caused the deaths of over 700 pigs in 38 communities around the country’s capital, Freetown.

A joint multi-disciplinary outbreak investigation team, comprising personnel from the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), Njala University, University of Makeni and FAO, visited 38 communities in the affected areas and conducted active disease research by collecting samples from suspected cases for laboratory confirmation. The team also conducted population awareness raising on instituted prevention and control measures.

Samples collected included: whole blood, serum, nasal and oral swabs and tissues that were transported to the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) Teko and tested for ASF and for swine influenza at the University of Makeni Infectious Disease Laboratory. With technical backstopping from regional and headquarters offices, FAO provided ASF PCR primers and ELISA kits for testing. These tests resulted positive for ASF and negative for swine influenza. 

This is the first time that the CVL Teko has produced animal disease threat results since it stopped operations in December 1997 as a result of destructions caused by the war. More than twenty years later, the laboratory resumed operations in October 2019 after a massive renovation and installation of state-of-the-art equipment by FAO with funds from United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Thanks to this support, the laboratory also has the capacity to detect other animal diseases including rabies, Peste des Petits Ruminants and other transboundary animal diseases (TADs).

The Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Sorie Kamara, described the investigation outcome as a breakthrough for the country, especially because of the short period in which the result was revealed. “For so long we have being shipping most samples abroad for investigations and it would take longer for us to get results. Earlier detection is key in animal disease control, because the earlier we detect the cause of a disease, the quicker we propagate prevention and control measures,” he explained.

ASF is a devastating hemorrhagic fever of pigs with mortality rates of up to 100 percent. It causes major economic losses, threatens food security and limits pig production in affected areas. Initial suspected cases of pig deaths were reported to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in September 2019 in Moa Wharf in Freetown and the outbreak spread to Kroo Bay, Kanikay, Colbort-Bomeh, and Kolleh town in Western Urban and Rural Districts, Freetown.

Piggery is a popular farming culture in Sierra Leone and a livelihood of many families. The ASF outbreak has caused economic losses to many households including James Sesay’s. “I have lost all my 50 pigs and my source of livelihood is from pig farming. It is a big loss for me. The disease has killed all pigs in my neighbourhood and it is so devastating for me,” he lamented.

With funding support from the USAID under the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) portfolio, FAO provided technical and logistical support to the Government of Sierra Leone to conduct a preliminary ASF outbreak investigation in affected communities reporting pig mortalities in Freetown.

“FAO Sierra Leone will make every effort to support MAF to investigate suspected ASF outbreaks and to safeguard the livelihoods of farmers. We are currently mobilizing resources to support the Ministry to conduct preliminary investigation and confirm the outbreak,” said Dr Germain Bobo, Country Team Leader of FAO’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) in Sierra Leone, during the ASF Outbreak Response Planning Meeting held on 23 October 2019 in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

FAO is now working on response measures with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and other partners to prevent further outbreaks.

Contact:

Keifa Jaward

Communications Consultant

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Sierra Leone

Email: [email protected]