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The disease is typically fatal to pigs, though harmless to humans. Cases hurt farmers and meat companies financially because animals die and governments often restrict pork shipments from infected nations. Controlling the disease’s spread to new countries in the Americas “will be critical to protect food security and livelihoods of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations,” the OIE said.
The disease originated in Africa before spreading to Europe and Asia and has killed hundreds of millions of pigs, while reshaping global meat and feed markets.
Investigations are underway to determine how it entered the Dominican Republic, the OIE said. Pigs on two farms in provinces located roughly 200 kilometers apart have been infected, according to the report.