Preparedness is key

Why should the US pork industry continue to pay attention to the Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) in Australia? Paul Sundberg, DVM, executive director of the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), provides a straightforward answer: because it could happen to the US next.

• According to Dr. Sundberg, past experiences have taught a powerful lesson: just because a problem might seem distant, it doesn’t mean you’re immune to it.
• Preparedness is key. If the disease does reach the US, we can’t afford to be completely blindsided. 

JEV is transmitted by mosquitoes, and pigs serve as amplifying hosts for it. What’s concerning is that the US has the same mosquitoes as those found in Australia – precisely the type that can transmit the disease. Also, reservoir hosts such as waterfowl, egrets, and other birds could carry the virus.

• The strain circulating in Australia is a different serotype – serotype 4 – one the U.S. has no experience with: it’s presumed that it could be controlled, but Dr. Sunberg says there’s no way to know for sure. 

A SHIC-sponsored symposium entitled Japanese Encephalitis Virus: Emerging Global Threat to Humans and Livestock will be held on October 17-19 at the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases at the University of Georgia. It’s dedicated to furthering understanding of the current JEV outbreak and its potential for global impact on human and domestic animal populations.

• Registration for the hybrid event is open for virtual or in-person participation.