In documented moves that foster public distrust of the government, Chinese officials are not creating an atmosphere of trust when it comes to producers reporting African Swine Fever (ASF), a disease that has claimed more than 1 million pigs to date. Reality may be worse as farmers are not reporting all the infections. This underreporting and low official response is a pattern the Chinese government has followed since the AIDS crisis in the 1990s.
Source: New York Times, April 22, 2019. Link. But the reality of the epidemic may be grimmer still. Several farmers said in interviews that they had not reported potential infections among their animal to the local authorities. Others aid officials had not responded quickly to reported outbreaks.
INSIGHTS: Maintain efforts to keep ASF out of the U.S. This situation will only get worse before it gets better.