Mexico and Colombia take measures in response to confirmed ASF in Dominican Republic

In response to ASF being confirmed in the Americas for the first time in more than 40 years, several countries, including Colombia and Mexico, have decided to take extreme precautions to prevent the entry of this disease into their territories.

As for Colombia, the Colombian Agricultural Institute has defined the following actions at ports, airports, and border crossings, as applicable:

• Inspection of 100% of the baggage from commercial flights from the Dominican Republic and connecting countries by means of scanners and, when necessary, physical inspection of the baggage.
• Validation of cargo flights from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, in order to intensify the inspection of risk products in the cargo.
• For the international courier service, the number of products to be physically inspected will be increased by type of risk.
• 100% of all cargo and passenger vessels from the Dominican Republic and Haiti will be inspected to ensure that no pork products are introduced.
• At border crossings, taking into account the possibility of international transit from the Dominican Republic from that country, the frequency of vehicle and pedestrian inspections will be increased.
• In all cases, any entry of pork products will be subject to seizure and confiscation.

The director asks swine producers in the country to take extreme biosecurity measures on their farms and to notify of any sanitary situation consistent with ASF in their animals.

On the other hand, the ICA confirms that there are currently no sanitary requirements that allow the importation of pigs or pig products from the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

In Mexico, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ordered the reinforcement of the first sanitary defense barrier, which involves animal health inspections at all ports, airports, and borders entering the country.

Despite the fact that pork products and by-products from the Dominican Republic are not allowed to enter the country, inspections of travelers coming from the Dominican Republic are being intensified.

Also, the inspection of orders, kitchens, and waste from commercial ships, cruise ships, and airplanes is intensified, in order to seal them for their return to the country of origin or to guarantee that they are properly destroyed.

Senasica is also strengthening the work of the Center for Health Emergency Operations (COES), which daily searches for and compiles health information reported worldwide on ASF and other animal diseases not present in Mexico.

Likewise, the General Directorate of Health is intensifying epidemiological surveillance work carried out in the field by technicians from the United States-Mexico Commission for the Prevention of Foot and Mouth Disease and other Exotic Animal Diseases (CPA).