The African Swine Fever disease among pigs is yet to be defeated in the Ashanti region of Ghana even though the rate of its spread has now stabilized.
One major factor responsible for the situation is the seeming unwillingness of the state to compensate the affected pig farmers to allow for a total destruction of all pigs on their farms which has been identified as the only surest means of completely subduing the disease.
GARDJA’s Nicholas Osei-Wusu who has been keenly following the situation has gathered that unless the government adopts the measures employed to control the bird flu by which fowls in the infected poultry farms were culled and the farmers adequately compensated, dealing with the African Swine Fever in the immediate time would be a mirage.
About the disease:
The African Swine Fever is a very serious and highly contagious viral disease of the pig family that spreads through direct and indirect contacts. Scientists are yet to put a finger to the actual origin of the disease, even though it is said to be endemic in sub-Saharan Africa with Warthogs, bush pigs, and ticks believed to be reservoirs of the causal agents.
The virus causes such a lethal haemorrhagic disease that could lead to a 100 percent mortality in an affected pigs farm in a matter of weeks upon infection. Infected pigs show symptoms such as isolation, inactivity, loss of appetite, reddish skin and spontaneous abortion. Its control remains very difficult as there is no known vaccine or cure.
The common experience in most countries has been a total wipeout of existing pig stock that takes quite a long time to achieve.
In the Ashanti region, there have been two outbreaks since 2016. The second outbreak was recorded in March this year in three administrative districts namely Bosomtwe, Ahafo Ano North and Atwima Nwabiagya.
The Ashanti Regional Veterinary Officer, Dr. Emmanuel Effah, told GARDJA that despite the various steps taken by the stakeholders to control the outbreak since it was first reported in the Region this year, the number of the cases has rather increased as at 18th September 2017.
“The disease has now spread to the Kumasi metropolis bringing the number of affected districts to four from the initial three. Most of the pigs in the affected farms have died.” Dr. Effah noted.
A visit to some of the affected pig farms in the Atwima Nwabiagya district showed that a number of pigs have so far died of the disease.
At the Nahh Farms at Dabaa, almost all the 680 pigs in stock at the time of the outbreak were lost to the African Swine Fever leading to a huge financial cost including the loss of working capital of the Manager, Mr. Augustine Nahh.
At the time of the visit, Mr. Nahh had managed to restock the farm with 120 pigs at various stages of growth. This, the Manager said, was the sentinel stage of re-stocking and re-capitalization capitalization.
Sentinel is the stage where new animals are reared to ascertain whether or not there is any trace of the African Swine Fever on the farm after a total destruction of the infected stock.
He said he has lost his entire capital to the disease. “My problems have been worsened by the slowed market as a result of the driving away of the Chinese who are major consumers of pig products especially pork”, Mr. Nahh lamented.
At the Agbe Farms within the same vicinity, the Manager, Mr. Stephen Agbelekpo said he lost about 300 of the pigs on his farm valued at about 23 thousand Ghana Cedis. He said his farm is also at the sentinel stage with new breeding stock some of which are either in gestation or nursing piglets with the hope that the disease is no more.
The sad story of low patronage of pig products appeared obvious at one of the most popular pork joints at Dakodwom in the Kumasi metropolis. Even though a handful of patrons were found buying the various forms of pork, either cooked or fresh, the Proprietor, Mr. Adanaam MosesAniniga-Nyese, confirmed the low patronage of his joint since the African Swine Fever outbreak in March this year.
In an interview, the Ashanti Regional Veterinary Officer, Dr. Emmanuel Effah, emphasized that “the most effective control measure against the disease must be a complete destruction of the stock of any pig farm infected by the disease as has been the international standard so far. But for this to be achieved, the government must accept to compensate the affected farmers as was done in the case of Bird Flu outbreak so as to enable the state to have a total control of the situation.”
