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ASF will ‘almost certainly’ spread to other Asian countries
To date, nearly 40,000 infected animals have been culled in China, in an attempt to limit the spread. (Stock photo)
UN calls emergency meeting as disease spreads in China

Experts say it is almost certain that African swine fever (ASF) will spread to other countries in Asia, as outbreaks continue to occur in China.

ASF was first detected in China last month and since then it has been detected in 18 farms and abattoirs in six provinces, sometimes more than 1,000km apart.

The situation poses a major threat to the swine industry, as China produces half the world’s pigs. Its swine population currently numbers 500 million.

In response to the outbreaks, an emergency meeting was convened by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) last week.

FAO’s chief veterinary officer, Juan Lubroth, said: “Unfortunately, what we’re seeing so far is just the tip of the iceberg.

“The geographical spread, of which ASF has been repeated in such a short period of time, means that transboundary emergence of the virus, likely through movements of products containing infected pork, will almost certainly occur.

“So it’s no longer ‘if’ that will happen but when, and what we can do collaboratively to prevent and minimise the damage.”
 
China and FAO have been working together for several years to develop plans and protocols, should ASF be detected in the country. To date, nearly 40,000 infected animals have been culled in an attempt to limit the spread.

The emergency meeting gathered veterinary authorities and other stakeholders from 12 countries.

FAO’s assistant director-general, Kundhavi Kadiresan, said: “This cross-border, regional collaboration is vital in responding to this very real threat to Asia’s swine sector, because this isn’t something that Ministries or Departments of Agriculture can handle on their own.”

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.