Given the current worsening of the African swine fever situation worldwide, this field manual will be aimed to assist veterinarians in the prompt recognition and detection of the disease and the immediate control steps at farm level.

African swine fever (ASF) is caused by a virus that is classified as a member of the Iridovirinae family. The disease in the warthog, the natural host, in Africa was described in 1921 by R. E. Montgomery. The reservoir of the vi rus is inti cks. The i ntroduct i on of domestic pi gs into territory occupied by warthogs i nf ected wi th ASF in the 1960's has endangered the pig industry around the world. The domestic pig is highly sensitive to ASF and develops a devastating disease that kills the pig without giving the immune system a chance to defend the animal against the virus infection. The ability of ASF virus to infect and destroy cells of the reticuloendothelial system leaves a defenseless host that succumbs to an infection which may be described as an acquired immune deficiency di sease of domestic pi gs. Introduction of the virus into Iberia in the 1960's led to a series of ASF epidemics in Spain and Portugal . . and later in France, that caused heavy economic losses. Between 1976 and 1960, ASF virus made its appearance in Malta and Sardinia . . as well as in Brazil, The Dominican Republic . . Haiti, and later in Cuba. In 1985-6 . . ASF appeared in Belgium and The Netherlands.

This report describes a risk assessment mission in the Federated States of Micronesia, undertaken by the EpiCentre, School of Veterinary Sciences, Massey University, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under FAO Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP/SAP/3801). The overall aim was to evaluate the risk of introducing the African swine fever virus (ASFV) into the Federated States of Micronesia and use the findings to propose recommendations that enable professionals, communities and key stakeholders to implement prevention and mitigation measures to reduce the impacts of African swine fever (ASF) incursion. ASF is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs. It has emerged from Africa, spreading to eastern Europe, China and Southeast Asia. Due to ASF outbreaks in Asia and Papua New Guinea, Pacific Islands countries now prioritise preventing the introduction of ASF. A risk assessment of ASFV introduction is necessary for deciding which preventive actions would be most effective. The assessment of risk was conducted using the OIE import risk analysis framework. The most likely pathway for introducing ASFV into the Federated States of Micronesia was importing unauthorised pork products that international arrival passengers may bring in via airport or searport. Should infected products enter the Federated States of Micronesia, there is a distinct pathway for exposure because pigs are routinely fed food scraps (swill) from households. The likelihood of transmission of ASFV to other susceptible pigs was considered extremely high due to the lack of farm biosecurity and the presence of feral pigs. The assessment method was a systematic, qualitative import risk analysis of ASFV introduction to the Federated States of Micronesia. Results provide information about high-risk areas for ASF introduction, exposure and spread in FSM. They also identify gaps in control and prevention measures. The following steps are being proposed to minimise the likelihood of entry and exposure and the consequence of ASFV introduction.

Transboundary animal diseases (TADs) are a major threat to livestock. They are highly contagious or transmissible, and they have the potential to cause high morbidity and mortality in both susceptible animal populations and humans. In addition, not only are TADs detrimental to national economies, they are also a serious threat to world food security. This volume presents the proceedings of an international workshop on Vaccines and Diagnostics for Transboundary Animal Diseases that was held in Ames (Iowa, USA) in 2012. Experts and scientists from academia, industry and government reviewed the current status of vaccines and diagnostics for high priority TADs, decision-making and regulatory processes for veterinary biologics, and the roles and responsibilities of government agencies. The discussions also addressed achievements and gaps in vaccine and diagnostics development for 11 important TADs as well as the translation of research findings into licensed novel vaccines and diagnostics for high-priority TADs.

This document aims to provide guidance for government officials in: Defining surveillance objectives Establishing ASF-related case definition and reporting criteria Providing examples of potential ASF surveillance methods Identifying various crucial factors in consideration of a surveillance system Evaluating a surveillance system Since its incursion to Asia and the Pacific region, African swine fever (ASF) has shown impacts on food security and economics as the virus is expanding towards more areas and countries in the region. As the disease continues to expand into new territories, preparedness and control activities need to be constantly adjusted to adapt to situations observed in the field that may be contrary to what was expected based on international standards or experiences from other parts of the world. This surveillance guideline provides guidance for government officials in defining surveillance objectives, establishing ASF-related case definitions and reporting criteria, providing examples of potential ASF surveillance methods, identifying various crucial factors in consideration of a surveillance system, and evaluating a surveillance system.