Social media carrying swine flu awareness

By PETER ESILA
AWARENESS messages on the African swine flu (ASF) are now being circulated through different media platforms, including social media, according the National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (Naqia).
Naqia, with the support from Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA) Plus and AusAID, launched the ASF risk communication products in Port Moresby yesterday.
Naqia managing director Joel Alu said the aim over the next three months was to inform the nation on ASF.
“With little funding from the government, we are using all available resources to get people to help fight against ASF, we want to fill the space with ASF, we can fight it,” he said.
This would see important ASF messages being aired on radio and television stations, including local radio stations and printed on newspapers including social media.
Alu said fighting ASF was vital because pigs were a significant part of the PNG culture (as a food source and trade item) as well as an important part of the rural economy.
He said the disease only affected pigs and not other livestock or humans.
“In Naqia’s existence over the last 20 years, we never had an occasion like this in our fight against diseases like the coffee berry borer, Newcastle disease, cocoa pod borer and other disease that we had.”
Alu said ASF could adversely impact rural populations especially in the Highlands region where pigs were a commodity in high demand.
He said his agency, with the backing of the government could install control measures and manage the spread of ASF, however, the Covid-19 had slowed efforts.