Self-declaration of
country freedom from African swine fever by Mexico
COMMUNICATION
FROM MEXICO
The
following communication, received on 13 June 2024, is being circulated at the
request of the delegation of Mexico.
_______________
1. Pursuant
to Article 6 of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary
Measures, which concerns regional conditions, including pest- or disease-free
areas and areas of low pest or disease prevalence, and in order to comply with
the principle of transparency, we hereby notify the "self-declaration of
country freedom from African swine fever by Mexico", which was sent to the
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on 21 March 2024.
2. Mexico
requested that WOAH publish an updated version of its self-declaration of
freedom from African swine fever (ASF); the previous version of the self-declaration
was published on 19 July 2018[1] and Mexico's status as a
country historically free from the disease has remained active ever since.
3. The
self-declaration of freedom from infection with the ASF virus concerns all
species of Sus scrofa.
4. The
self-declaration complies with Chapter 15.1, Article 15.1.3 "General
criteria for the determination of the ASF status of a country, zone or
compartment" and Article 15.1.4 "Country or zone free from ASF",
paragraph 1 "Historical freedom". A country may be considered free
from ASF without pathogen-specific surveillance if it complies with the
provisions in Chapter 1.4, Article 1.4.6, paragraph 2(b), of the WOAH
Terrestrial Animal Health Code (Terrestrial Code).
5. In
Mexico, veterinary services fall within the remit of the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), acting through the National
Agriculture and Food Health, Safety and Quality Service (SENASICA). Within
SENASICA, the Directorate-General of Animal Health (DGSA) is the national
veterinary authority responsible for regulating animal health. It has protocols
for the detection and control of the various exotic diseases and pests that can
affect the country's terrestrial and aquatic animal species. These protocols
are reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure that they remain
effective, thus keeping technical procedures optimal and ensuring that the best
scientific practices are applied when addressing animal health threats.
6. Mexico
has not recorded any cases or evidence of ASF since it joined WOAH, and is
therefore self-declaring country freedom. Exotic disease surveillance
activities nevertheless include passive epidemiological surveillance conducted
through the National Epidemiological Surveillance System (SIVE), in compliance
with Chapter 1.4, Article 1.4.6, paragraph 2(b), of the Terrestrial Code.
7. SENASICA's
National Exotic and Emerging Disease Information System (SINEXE) makes it
possible to record, analyse and follow epidemiological field investigations
involving exotic, emerging or re-emerging diseases. The table below details the
notifications received by SINEXE between 2018 and 2023 concerning clinically
suspected cases of swine diseases such as ASF. In such cases, an on‑site visit is
conducted to obtain samples from animals showing clinical signs:
Notifications
received concerning exotic swine diseases in the period 2018-2023
|
Year
|
2018
|
2019
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
Number of
notifications
|
90
|
90
|
94
|
404
|
631
|
875
|
Number of
samples tested for ASF
|
60
|
631
|
882
|
3,251
|
5,336
|
5,125
|
Number of
positive or suspect diagnostic results for ASF
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
8. In
Mexico, the importation of live pigs, susceptible species, pig semen and
embryos, vehicles or containers transporting machinery or equipment used for
such animals, and pig products and by‑products is prohibited if such items come
from or have transited through countries or regions where outbreaks or positive
cases of ASF have been reported to WOAH.
9. Furthermore,
animal health requirements have been established in accordance with the
recommendations set out in the WOAH Terrestrial Code and following a risk
analysis carried out by SENASICA for trading partner countries in which the
absence of ASF has been demonstrated.
10. Mexico fulfils the requirements of Article 1.4.6, paragraph 1(b), of
the Terrestrial Code:
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