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Punta Cana hosted the Project for Strengthening Technical Capacities in Surveillance for the Prevention and Response to African Swine Fever (ASF), an international meeting held from November 11 to 14, 2025, where technical delegations from 64 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Andean region participated.
The event aimed to strengthen inspection, surveillance, and control capabilities at ports, airports, and borders, with an emphasis on the management of international waste and products of animal and plant origin, as essential strategies for preventing the introduction and spread of ASF.
During the opening ceremony, Rosa Lazala, Director of Plant Health, and Abel Madera, representing the General Directorate of Livestock, officially welcomed the delegates, highlighting the country's commitment to international cooperation in animal health and biosecurity.
Participants received training based on the Dominican experience in managing ASF, including inspection procedures, risk management, and active surveillance, to strengthen control protocols in their respective countries and improve response capacity to potential sanitary emergencies.
The program had the technical support of more than ten international organizations, including the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), CARIVET, OIRSA, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), CAHFSA, the Andean Community, SENASICA (Mexico), as well as the Department of ASF Surveillance in the Americas, the Animal Health area, and the Plant Health Department of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic.
During the four-day event, participants received technical instruction on the risks of the disease, proper phytosanitary management, and preventive measures against a pathological process that, to date, has no vaccine or curative treatment.
With this high-level training, the Dominican Republic reaffirmed its position as a regional leader in the sanitary surveillance and management of ASF, contributing to the strengthening of the technical capacities of veterinary services in Latin America and the Caribbean.
November 11, 2025/ Ministry of Agriculture/ Dominican Republic.
https://agricultura.gob.do/
