Female scientist leads fight against Africa swine fever

A FEMALE scientist has been leading the fight against African Swine Fever since it emerged in the country, according to the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access plus Programme (Phama Plus).
She is National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (Naqia) technical officer Elaine Hevoho, one of the first workers tasked to stop the spread of the fever when it emerged in Southern Highlands in March this year.
The fever affects pigs and thus posing a health, social, cultural and economic risk.
“The challenges and demands of my role in field work does sometimes affect my responsibilities at home with my two children,” Hevoho said.
“But I have an incredibly supportive family, especially my mother and sister who step in to take care of my children while I’m on duty travel.”
Hevoho is normally confined to a laboratory testing pig blood samples.
The tests, plus checkpoints on roads around infected areas, had been critical to limiting the spread of the fever to pigs.
She travels a lot to disease control centres in Mendi and Wabag.
Naqia’s managing director Joel Alu said the response work was assisted by the Australia and New Zealand-funded Phama Plus Programme.
“Our work and containment efforts have been greatly boosted by the technical support and funding from our partners, particularly through Phama Plus and Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment,” he said.