Given the importance of pork in the Bhutanese diet and to enhance food security, the Government of Bhutan has generated policies to promote development of the swine sector in the country. One of the main threats to swine farming is classical swine fever (CSF), a transboundary disease of wild and domestic swine thought to be enzootic in the country. In 2018, three outbreaks of CSF were notified in Bhutan. The type of animals, their vaccine status, and the aftermath of these outbreaks highlight the interplay of epidemiological and context-specific factors that may result in CSF undermining the emerging Bhutanese swine sector. This communication reports on the CSF outbreaks of 2018, discusses some of the challenges posed by these events, and proposes some research priorities.
Keywords: Bhutan; CSF; Epidemiology; Low- and middle-income countries; One health; Outbreak.