This weekend I returned from a two-week trip to Vietnam where my team and I are finalizing preparations to begin 3 new African Swine Fever virus (ASFv) viability research projects. I have been working with my colleagues at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) for the past two and a half years on previous projects. The results of that research will soon be published in a special edition of the Pathogens journal focused on ASF research (stay tuned for the release of those manuscripts).
COVID restrictions kept me from traveling to Vietnam to work with the team previously, so it was great to finally connect with my team in person! Our project leads in Vietnam, Dr. Hoang Minh Duc and Dr. Hoang Minh Son, were phenomenal hosts and I feel honored to have the opportunity to work with them. We also met with many of their students who have been helping with the project. It was a great experience and I am more excited than ever to begin the field activities for these projects.
Many thanks to the National Pork Board for funding this important work. We will soon be increasing the global understanding of the viability of ASFv in compost, the deep burial environment, within manure slurry, and in surface water.