Countries of the region

• Animal disease containment in its broadest sense should be prioritized within the highest levels of governments.
• Preparedness (e.g. contingency planning, standard operating procedures, secured financial support) based on the principles of early warning, detection and notification, early reaction, and coordination. It needs to be reviewed periodically in relation to changing disease situation.
• Application of strict biosecurity measures specific to the different swine producing sectors including frequent cleaning and disinfection of farms, transport vehicles, and improved husbandry practices and production systems.
• Strengthening surveillance and monitoring of transport of live pigs as well as pork products.
• Good communication and coordination with swine producing commercial sector and swine famers are essential to strengthen cooperation in ASF prevention, detection, and control. Awareness and training of all stakeholders, from veterinarians to farmers, intermediaries and other value chain actors is needed.
• Communication to public is to be in place to avoid the rumours leading to food safety perceptions and consumption disruption.
• Prohibition of swill feeding where feasible. When it is unavoidable than swill feed should not contain the remains of pigs. Swill should be boiled and allowed to cool before feeding.
• Farm registries, animal identification and censuses are essential to enable to locate animals in the event of outbreaks and animal health interventions.
• Strengthening proper disposal of food waste (food services, airports, seaports), which may contain uncooked pork products.
• Extra vigilance is recommended regarding the proliferation of fake ASF vaccines.
• Sustainable outbreak control strategies must be in place. The strategies need to be developed in consultation with the private sector (pig production and allied industries, such as transport, feed operators) who should be actively involved in disease management options.

National Considerations, Inter-Regional Collaboration and Solidarity

• Strengthening intraregional networks on disease management and diagnostic protocols.
• Understanding pig and pork value chains within the country and with neighbouring countries is essential for improved risk management.

• FAO and NAQIA conducted the ASF Stock inspectors field practical training in August 2022 in Port Moresby. [link]
• FAO participated in a workshop to design a comprehensive ASF management plan in response to the negative impacts of the disease on the livelihoods of farmers in the northeast of India, held on 8 July in Assam. [link]
• FAO presented OutCosT at the Global African Swine Fever Research Alliance (GARA) 2022 Scientific Meeting was held on 24-27 May 2022 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
• FAO Webinars on the use of the OUTbreak COSting Tool (OutCosT) were held on 25, 27 and 29 April.  [link]
• FAO ECTAD RAP collaborated with colleagues from City University of Hong Kong to introduce the newly produced FAO guidelines for ASF prevention and control smallholder pig farming in Asia. [link1, link2, link3, link4, link5]
• FAO ECTAD RAP piloted online trainings on the application of FAO ASF practical guidelines for smallholders in Papua New Guinea and Cambodia; course materials are being adapted for the Virtual Learning Center for wider use in the region.
• FAO and the Directorate of Animal Health (DGLAHS) Indonesia conducted a technical training on ASF response for veterinarians in Kalimantan, and ASF response training for extension workers in 13 districts in West Kalimantan Province.
• FAO ECTAD Cambodia and GDAHP organized ASF community forum from 22 November to 17 December 2021 in Tboung Khmum, Rattanakiri, Takeo, Svay Rieng and Kandal provinces.
• FAO and OIE co-organised the Standing Group of Experts for African Swine Fever (SGE-ASF) for Asia and the Pacific, held online on 15 December 2021.
• FAO RAP completed the 4-week ASF virtual training for the Pacific Island Countries launched on 12 October 2021 through the Virtual Learning Centre.
• FAO ECTAD Cambodia and GDAHP organized series of trainings at provincial level on investigation and emergency response in Kandal (22-23 September), Tboung Khum (29-30 September), and Ratanakiri (12-13 October). [link]
• FAO co-organised the Standing Group of Experts for African Swine Fever (SGE-ASF) for Asia and the Pacific, together with the OIE, held online on 7 September 2021.
• FAORAP organized a virtual workshop on development of ASF tabletop simulation exercises for Asia.
• FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (RLC) launched the ASF website [link]
• FAO co-organised the Standing Group of Experts for African Swine Fever (SGE-ASF) for Asia and the Pacific, together with the OIE, held online on 7 September 2021.
• FAO, IUCN and OIE issued a joint communique encouraging members to increase efforts to address ASF [link]. A joint article was published in a Newsletter of the IUCN SSC Wild, Peccary and Hippo Specialist Group.
• Third Regional GF-TADs Coordination Meeting on ASF on 25 August. [link] 
• FAO organised a Virtual Regional Training on Value Chain Analysis for Animal Disease Risk Management, focus on ASF as case study on 17-31 August 2021. [link]
• FAO supported the Pig Value Chain Workshop organized by NAQIA, Papua New Guinea on 12-13 August 2021 in collaboration with PHAMA Plus, DFAT, and NFAT. [link]
• OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021–2030 (includes projection of Meat) released.
• GF-TADs virtual meeting: Stop ASF: Public and private partnering for success (Jun 2021). [link]
• FAORAP organised the third regional training of trainers on ASF detection and emergency response engaging animal health officials from Lao PDR, the Philippines and Thailand on 15-26 March 2021 [reference].
• FAORAP organised a 2-day virtual regional consultation workshop on ASF preparedness and response for Asia & Pacific (9-10 March 2021) [meeting report].
• Alert letter on unlicensed ASF vaccine use in the region was sent out to Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) on 29 March 2021 by regional secretariat for FAO/OIE GF-TADs for Asia and the Pacific. 
• FAO co-organised the Standing Group of Experts for African Swine Fever (SGE-ASF) for Asia and the Pacific, together with the OIE, held online on 5 February 2021  [reference].
• GF-TADs virtual meeting: Stop ASF: Public and private partnering for success - Live technical session on 21, 28 June [register, agenda, recording, networking]
• FAO ECTAD Myanmar conducted a sub-national level virtual interactive training on ASF detection and emergency response in Myanmar, together with the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (LBVD), in collaboration with FAO ECTAD RAP. The course comprises seven modules with excercise, 85 participants from public and private veterinary sectors, academia, and associations.
• FAO ECTAD Cambodia held a series of training courses on ASF in Svay Rieng, Takeo and Kampong provinces [link].
• FAO ECTAD RAP organized a 2-day virtual training on ASF risk communication for Asia & Pacific (December 2020).
• FAO ECTAD Indonesia, in collaboration with DGLAHS, organized an online capacity building course on ASF prevention & control for eight high risk provinces. The course included: biosecurity, biosafety, market / value chain management, etc against ASF introduction; and online ASF ToT course is being planned.
• FAO ECTAD RAP launched an animation video for farmers on basic farm biosecurity “Be a Champion Farmer! – Biosecurity is key to stop African Swine Fever” available in different languages used in Asia & Pacific [reference].  
• GF-TADs Webinar - African swine fever: An unprecedented global threat - A challenge to livelihoods, food security and biodiversity - Call for action, was successfully held in October 2020 [reference].
• FAO ECTAD Viet Nam and DAH held workshops on risk communication of animal diseases in October 2020 [reference]
• FAO ECTAD RAP published “Addressing African Swine Fever: Laboratory protocols and algorithms” in collaboration with the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP, formerly AAHL) [reference].
• Alert message on high risk for African swine fever emergence and spread to Pacific Islands sent out on 16 March 2020.
• The 4th Standing Group of Experts (SGE) on ASF for Asia meeting to discuss ‘Outbreak management’ was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
• FAO conducted an ASF risk assessment mission in Samoa to provide support for ASF preparedness to prevent the disease entering the country (February 2020) [reference].
• The Global Meeting to address the “ASF unprecedented global threat: a challenge to food security, wildlife management and conservation” in Rome, Italy, initially planned in April 2020, was substituted by series of webinars took place in October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation [reference].
• FAO and OIE launched a new joint initiative for the Global Control of African swine fever - A GF-TADs initiative 2020-2025 [press release]. 
• Virtual regional Training of Trainers on ASF detection and emergency response was organized in June-July 2020 engaging animal health officials from Cambodia, Myanmar, Viet Nam and Regional FETPV.
• Online meeting with CVO Papua New Guinea (PNG) and FAO (HQs, RAP and FAO-PNG) and development partners was held in June 2020 to discuss situation and support to ASF response in PNG.
• Online course on ASF preparedness for Asia was successfully finished with 490 participants from 27 countries in Asia and Pacific Region with a dozen tutors (May-June 2020).
• Under the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) umbrella, OIE, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and FAO organized a video call focusing on ASF by engaging several exerts on epidemiology, laboratory, biosecurity and prevention as well as socioeconomic aspects. Each participating country provided update on ASF preparedness in the individual countries (March 2020).
• The production of the Korean version of the manual African swine fever in wild boar: ecology and biosecurity manual in collaboration with the Korean National Institute is completed.
• Dr B. Tijani, Assistant Director General, FAO participated in the High-Level International Conference - The future of global pork production under the threat of African swine fever, organized by the European Commission in Berlin (January 2020) [reference].
• The first cohort of trainees have completed the FAO tutored e-learning course on ASF (December 2019) and plans to offer this in 2020 to multiple regions developed.
• FAO EMC-AH mission to Timor-Leste to assess ASF situation and response strategy (December 2019).
• The 2019 Annual Coordination meeting of the Project Steering Committee for the FAO-China South-South Cooperation project was held in Kunming City, China, including discussion on ‘ASF prevention and control’ (December 2019).
• ECTAD/FAO co-organized the 3rd Meeting of the GF-TADs standing group of experts on African swine fever (SGE-ASF) for Asia and4th regional workshop on swine disease control in Asia (November 2019) [reference].
• The Regional Laboratory Coordinator undertook a mission to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to provide laboratory equipment, reagents and training on ASF diagnostic methodologies (November 2019)
• FAO EMC-AH mission to Papua New Guinea to assess ASF preparedness and response strategy (October 2019) [reference]
• ECTAD Viet Nam uploaded a video clip to YouTube on technical advice (September 2019) [reference].
• Inception Workshop for the Regional Technical Cooperation Programme on African Swine Fever Emergency Preparedness and Response in East and Southeast Asia was held in Bangkok (August 2019) [reference].
• ECTAD/FAO Regional office for Asia and the Pacific attended the 2nd standing group of experts on African swine fever (SGE-ASF) meeting for Asia held in Tokyo, Japan (July 2019) [reference].
• FAO EMC-AH mission to Lao PDR to assess the ASF situation and preparedness and response strategy (June 2019)
• FAO and World Bank - joint presentation on ASF at the G7 CVO meeting (May 2019).
• OIE and FAO - joint presentation on ASF at the 87th OIE General Session, OIE, Paris (May 2019).
• FAO deployed an EMC-AH mission to Cambodia to assess the ASF situation and response strategy (May 2019).
• In Cambodia, the private sector organized an awareness-training program entitled "Breeding pigs under ASF threat", at which FAO ECTAD Cambodia presented the regional ASF situation (May 2019).
• FAO project on ASF Emergency Preparedness and Response in East and Southeast Asia” started (April 2019).
• Beijing International Symposium on ASF was jointly organized by MARA, FAO and OIE in Beijing (April 2019).
• The GF-TADS Standing Group of Experts on ASF for Asia was held in Beijing, hosted by MARA (April 2019).
• FAO in collaboration with the General Directorate of Animal Health and Production (GDAHP), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Cambodia, organized a National Consultative Workshop on the Development of ASF Preparedness and Response Plan (ASF-CPRP) in Cambodia (April 2019).
• FAO Technical Cooperation Programme project “African Swine Fever Emergency Preparedness and Response in East and Southeast Asia” (TCP/RAS/3704) started on 23 April 2019.
• FAO organized a workshop on ASF Preparedness & Response Plan and portable PCR in Cambodia (April 2019).
• FAO deployed an EMC-AH mission to Viet Nam from in March 2019 to assess ASF situation and response strategy.
• FAO Myanmar is advising Veterinary Service on appropriate active surveillance and on laboratory diagnosis. FAO completed an EMC-AH mission to Myanmar to assess ASF preparedness, including laboratory capacity (March 2019).
• FAO deployed an EMC-AH Emergency Response Mission to Mongolia to assess ASF situation (February 2019).
• FAO deployed an EMC-AH mission to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to assess ASF preparedness [reference].
• FAO and MARA, China jointly organized the Multilateral Cross-Border Meeting in Greater Mekong Subregion to Strengthen Collaboration of Transboundary Animal Disease Control in Beijing, China, in November 2018 which included “African Swine Fever Emergency Preparedness training” for Lao PDR, Myanmar, Viet Nam and China [reference].
• FAO-China, Chief/AGAH and CVO met with MARA Vice Minister and senior staff of Veterinary Bureau and China Animal Disease Control Center in November. A call for solidarity to address the expanding global threat of ASF to the G20 was suggested by Chinese officials [reference].
• In October 2018 and again in February 2019, FAO Chief Veterinary Officer sent a message to CVOs in the region and throughout the world encouraging preparedness and vigilance [reference].
• FAO and MARA jointly held a Technical Consultation on ‘Application of Technology to Strengthen ASF Control through Rapid Detection and Response’ in October 2018 in Beijing, China [reference].
• FAO organized an Emergency Regional Consultation on African Swine Fever in Bangkok, September 2018 [reference].
• FAO released a publication on ASF spread in Asia (March 2018) and urged regional collaboration and preparedness [reference].
• FAO and World Bank delivered a joint presentation at the G7 CVO meeting (May 2019).
• OIE and FAO delivered a joint presentation on ASF at the 87th OIE General Session, OIE, Paris (May 2019).
• FAO project on ASF Emergency Preparedness and Response in East and Southeast Asia” started from April 2019.
• FAO deployed an EMC-AH mission to Cambodia from 27 May to assess the ASF situation and response strategy.
• In Cambodia, the private sector organized an awareness-training program entitled "Breeding pigs under ASF threat" on 9 May, at which FAO ECTAD Cambodia presented the regional ASF situation.
• Beijing International Symposium on ASF was jointly organized by MARA, FAO and OIE on 8-9 April in Beijing [reference].
• The 1st meeting of GF-TADS Standing Group of Experts (SGE) on ASF for Asia was held in Beijing, hosted by MARA.
• FAO in collaboration with the General Directorate of Animal Health and Production (GDAHP), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Cambodia, organized a National Consultative Workshop on the Development of ASF Preparedness and Response Plan (ASF-CPRP) in Cambodia on 8-9 April 2019.
• FAO organized a training workshop on operationalizing the ASF Preparedness and Response Plan and how to use portable PCR for ASF in Cambodia on 10-11 April 2019.
• FAO participated at International Symposium on ASF and Standing Group of Exerts (SGE)–ASF meeting (Beijing, April 2019).
• FAO deployed an EMC-AH mission to Viet Nam from 11 to 16 March to assess ASF situation and response strategy.
• FAO Myanmar is advising Veterinary Service on appropriate active surveillance and on laboratory diagnosis. FAO completed an EMC-AH mission to Myanmar to assess ASF preparedness, including laboratory capacity by expert from an OIE/FAO reference laboratory (March 2019).
• FAO deployed an EMC-AH Emergency Response Mission to Mongolia to assess ASF situation (February 2019).
• FAO deployed an EMC-AH mission to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to assess ASF preparedness [reference].
• FAO and MARA jointly organized the Multilateral Cross-Border Meeting in Greater Mekong Subregion to Strengthen Collaboration of Transboundary Animal Disease Control in Beijing, China in November 2018 which included “African Swine Fever Emergency Preparedness training” for Lao PDR, Myanmar, Viet Nam and China [reference].
• On 16 November, FAO-China, Chief/AGAH and CVO met with MARA Vice Minister and senior staff of Veterinary Bureau and China Animal Disease Control Center. A call for solidarity to address the expanding global threat of ASF to the G20 was suggested by Chinese officials [reference].
• In October 2018 and again in February 2019, FAO Chief Veterinary Officer sent a message to CVOs in the region and throughout the world encouraging preparedness and vigilance [reference].
• FAO and MARA jointly held a Technical Consultation on ‘Application of Technology to Strengthen ASF Control through Rapid Detection and Response’ in October 2018 in Beijing, China, with participants from Veterinary Bureau/MARA, China Animal Disease Control Center (CADC), China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center (CAHEC) [reference].
• FAO organized an “Emergency Regional Consultation on African swine fever: Risk reduction and preparedness” in Bangkok, 5-7 September, 2018, with the overall objective to:
  • review the ASF situation and risks to the rest of China and the region;
  • develop a regional approach for ASF risk reduction, preparedness and response;
  • identify priority actions required for countries in a short, medium and longer term; and
  • facilitate the development of a stakeholder network for ASF.
• FAO's Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) is communicating closely with authorities in China’s Veterinary Bureau to monitor the situation and to respond effectively to the outbreak inside the country.
• FAO ECTAD is likewise in contact with authorities in neighbouring countries, to raise the importance of preparedness to respond to the threat of further spread.
• The FAO Manual on ASF Detection and Diagnosis was recently translated into Chinese in collaboration with Veterinary authorities and ASF national reference laboratory in China, and distributed in the regions.
• FAO undertook a mission in Mongolia (16-23 April) to explore the feasibility of wild boar surveillance along the border with Russia. Following this mission an awareness pamphlet was produced and delivered to herders/hunters and some rangers in the provinces that border with Russian Federation. 
• FAO warned of the risk of African swine fever threatens to spread from China to other Asian countries, and urges regional collaboration including stronger monitoring and preparedness measures [reference].
• FAO released a rapid risk assessment of ASF introduction in March 2018: “African Swine Fever Threatens People’s Republic of China” [reference].
• FAO and authorities in China jointly developed a Field Epidemiology Training Programme for Veterinarians (FETPV) in China to strengthen epidemiological investigation, disease situation tracking, risk assessment and emergency preparedness.  ‘Graduates’ of the programme have been mobilized for epidemiological investigations, sampling and response activities.
• An event for ASF policy in East and Southeast Asia was organized Under FAO-led international H2020 research consortium for the coordination of animal health research between China and EU (LinkTADs).
• FAO provided TCP/CPR/3501 “Developing Prevention and Control Strategies for African Swine Fever (ASF) in China” (Jul 2014 - Dec 2015; USD 380,000) to improve the capacity in ASF prevention, ASF preparedness, risk assessment, diagnostic techniques, epidemiology, raising awareness, strengthening national ASF laboratory coordination mechanism, and set up an ASF contingency plan.

FAO publications

• Carcass management guidelines - Effective disposal of animal carcasses and contaminated materials on small to medium-sized farms (2020)
• Global control of African swine fever: A GF-TADs initiative (2020)
  Also available in: Chinese - Spanish -  French - Russian
• Biosecurity practices and border control to stop the spread of
  African swine fever (2020)
• African Swine Fever in wild boar: Ecology and biosecurity (2019)
  Also available in : Korean - Lithuanian -  Spanish
• Prudent and efficient use of antimicrobials in pigs and poultry (2019)
  Also available in : Russian
• African Swine Fever threatens People's Republic of China - A rapid risk assessment of ASF introduction (2019)
• Carcass management for small- and medium-scale livestock farms. Practical considerations (2018)
  Also available in:  French - Romanian - Russian - Serbian - Spanish -  Ukrainian
• African swine fever, a transboundary threat that requires regional and international cooperation (2018)
  
• African swine fever (ASF) detection and diagnosis. A manual for veterinarians (2017)
  Also available in: Albanian - Chinese - Lithuaninan - Macedonian - Serbian -  Spanish - Russian
• The Global Platform for African swine fever and other important diseases of swine (2014)
• African swine fever training activities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (2014)
• Regional strategy for the control of ASF in Africa (2017)
• The Global Platform for African swine fever and other important diseases of swine (2014)
• African swine fever in the Russian Federation: risk factors for Europe and beyond (May 2013)
• African Swine Fever (ASF) recent developments - timely updates Worrisome dynamics: Steady spread towards unaffected areas could have disastrous impact (2012)
• Good practices for biosecurity in the pig sector – Issues and options in developing and transition countries (2010)
  Also available in: Chinese - French
• FAO takes a close look at the threat of African swine fever introduction into Eastern Europe (2010)
• Preparation of African swine fever contingency plans (2009)
  Also available in:  Armenian - Georgian - French -  Russian -  Spanish
• African swine fever spread in the Russian Federation and the risk for the region (2009)
• African swine fever in the Caucasus (2008)
• Manual on the preparation of African swine fever contingency plans (2001)

Scientific publications

• Descriptive and multivariate analysis of the pig sector in Georgia and its implications for disease transmission
  PLoS ONE 13(8): e0202800
• Wild boar mapping using population-density statistics: from polygons to high resolution raster maps
  PloS ONE 13(5): e0193295
• The African swine fever epidemic in West Africa, 1996 – 2002
  Transbound Emerg Dis. 2018;65:64–76
• Modeling the live-pig trade network in Georgia: Implications for disease prevention and control
  PLoS ONE 12(6): e0178904

Videos/Audios

• Biosecurity is key to stop African Swine Fever - Be a Champion Farmer! (2020)
• Raising awareness about African swine fever in Ukraine (2016)
• African Swine Fever spreads to the Philippines
  FAO Target Zero Hunger podcast
• Response to rumours on African Swine Fever (ASF) treatment in Viet Nam
  Interview to Pawin Padungtod, FAO ECTAD Senior Technical Coordinator
• EFSA
• NAQIA, Papua New Guinea [link1, link2]
• MDF, Timor-Leste
• BAI/DA, the Philippines