Swedish University of Agricultural Scienceswww.slu.se

Impact of Emerging Transboundary Diseases Using African Swine Fever in Uganda as a specific case

Sofia Boqvist, DVM, Ass Prof., Karl Ståhl, DVMDept of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, SLU

ABSTRACT: Pig farming is one of the fastest growing livestock activities in the rural areas of Uganda and has become veryattractive throughout the country as a means of increasing food, income and employment. In addition to the increased localdemand, exported pork generates additional incomes for the farmer and the country. However, infectious diseases such asAfrican Swine Fever (ASF) represent serious potential constraints to the further development of the pig industry. There are alsoconcerns regarding the negative effects of livestock production on the global climate, and efficiency of production has beenidentified as a key issue. Infectious disease is a major limiting factor for livestock production with severe negative economicconsequences both at micro (smallholder producers) and macro (regional and international) economic levels.

ASF is an economically important and frequently lethal viral disease of domestic pigs. The virus is maintained either through asylvatic cycle involving warthogs and soft ticks or in a domestic cycle that involves pigs of local breeds, with or without tickinvolvement. Since there is no currently available control measure other than diagnosis and slaughter, the disease poses aserious constraint to the development of both smallholder and industrial pig industries in Africa. ASF is also perceived as animportant disease based on stakeholder perceptions.

The magnitude of the threat now needs to be better defined through systematic collection of baseline data that will provide aframework for a more rigorous assessment of the impact of the disease. This two-year project is performed in collaborationwith several partners in Kenya, Uganda and at SLU. The aim is to provide an in-depth assessment of the impact of ASF inconstraining the development of the smallholder pig industry in Uganda at defined benchmark sites. The approach will involvea combination of participatory epidemiology and molecular characterisation of viral diversity.

DISCUSSION AFTER PRESENTATION: Questions concerned the disease transmission pathways, the possibility oftransmission to humans (it cannot be transmitted to any animals other than domestic pigs) and whether there are any supportsystems for affected farmers (there are no such systems and neither do effective survey systems exist, which means that theauthorities are often unaware of outbreaks).

Swedish University of Agricultural Scienceswww.slu.se

Impact of emerging transboundarydiseases

Using African Swine Fever in Uganda as a specific case

Sofia Boqvist, DVM, Ass ProfKarl Ståhl, DVMDept of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, SLU

• Virological disease • Cause symptoms in

domestic pigs• High mortality• No vaccines• No treatments• Emerging trans-boundary

diseases

African Swine Fever (ASF)

Transmisson and spread• Three mechanisms of transmission

– Sylvatic cycle: warthogs – soft shelled ticks– Domestic cycle: domestic pigs – domestic

pigs– Domestic pigs –ticks - domestic pigs

• Wild African pig species and soft shelled ticks are the natural hosts of the virus

Swedish University of Agricultural Scienceswww.slu.se

Virus host

Symptoms Peracute – acute infection

• Incubation 5-15 days• High fever• Inappetens• Discoloration of the skin • Very high mortality

• Mainly in enzootic areas (areas where the disease is present)

• Fluctuating fever• Red discoloration of the skin • Depression and loss of appetite• Secondary infections • Mortality mainly among young

individuals

SymptomsSubacute – chronic infection

Pig production in Uganda

• Exotic pigs were introduced in Uganda in the 1950s and 1960s

• Today the pig population stands at about 3.2 million pigs – in Africa second only to Nigeria

• Demand for pork products steadily increasing

• Production dominated by rural free-range small holder systems

Swedish University of Agricultural Scienceswww.slu.se

ASF in Uganda

APAC

OYAM

AMURUGULU

PADER

AMURIA

KATAKWI

SOROTI

KIBAALE

KASESE

KANUNGU RAKAI

KABULA MUKONOWAKISO

KAMPALAMUBENDE

KIBOGA

NAKASEKE

NAKASONGOLA

KAMULITORORO

SIRONKO

LUW

EERO

IGANGAJINJA

PALLISABUTALEJA

MPIGI

MITYAN

A

KALI R

O

100 0 100 200 Kilometers

DistrictsASF distribution

N

District distribution of African Swine Fever 2004

Key

Swedish University of Agricultural Scienceswww.slu.se

Project objective

• To provide an in-depth assessment of the impact of African swine fever (ASF) in constraining the development of the smallholder pig industry in Uganda at defined benchmark sites.

• The approach will involve a combination of:– participatory epidemiology, including farmer interviews – in-depth field sampling– molecular characterization of viral diversity.

1. A longitudinal survey of ASF in domestic pigs in two districts

• This is the key activity in the project.• Serological study

– This activity will be repeated twice during the duration of the project

• Questionnaire study – with the participating farmers/stakeholders

Distribution of samples

Diagnostic laboratory work, ongoing

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9A 0,417 2,703 2,654 2,324 2,343 2,384 2,395 2,207 2,373B 0,356 2,592 2,13 0,149 2,168 2,163 2,144 2,231 2,224C 2,176 2,191 2,1 2,009 2,091 2,107 2,091 2,167 2,834D 2,246 1,969 2,186 2,175 2,19 2,143 2,193 2,131 2,772E 2,104 1,831 2,161 2,051 2,265 2,06 2,159 2,268 2,839F 2,234 2,246 1,991 2,165 2,463 2,129 2,176 2,239 2,861G 2,113 2,189 2,235 2,101 1,953 2,123 2,214 2,182 2,837H 2,475 2,314 2,19 2,29 2,273 2,265 2,223 2,077 2,935

KYA7:3

2. A study on the role of wild pigs in the epidemiology of ASF

• Collect and analyse of samples• Use tracking devices to study the

interaction between wild and domestic pigs

Tracking of bush pigs

Tracking of bush pigs

3. A study on virus diversity in the different hosts

• Domestic pigs• Buh pigs and wart hogs• Ticks

Swedish University of Agricultural Scienceswww.slu.se

Additional components planned in the project

1. A study on ASF based on abattoir sampling. 2. Outbreak investigations

Swedish University of Agricultural Scienceswww.slu.se

Conclusion

• ASF is an example of a TAD of growing importance for food securityand household income.

• This project will contribute with new knowledge about the impact and spread of ASF in Uganda.

• It is highly relevant for Swedish scientists to study TADs in areas where they are prevalent.

Swedish University of Agricultural Scienceswww.slu.se

This project is funded by SLU

– In their strategy to increase collaboration withCGIAR institutes.

Institutions involved

Swedish University of Agricultural Scienceswww.slu.se

SLU researchers involved

Dept. of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, SLU

Ass Prof. Sofia Boqvist, DVM, PhD Karl Ståhl, Prof. Mikael Berg, Prof. Sándor Belák

Dept. of Clinical Sciences, SLUProf. Ulf Emanuelsson

Dept. of Animal Breeding and Genetics, SLUAss Prof. Erik Bongcam-Rudloff, PhD student Martin Norling

National Veterinary InstituteAss Prof. Jean-Francois Valarcher

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!!!

Rural pigs, without and with ASF, in central Uganda October 2010