Table 4.

Perceptions of African swine fever (ASF) prevention and control among pig value chain actors from a study conducted in northern Uganda in October 2019.

Categories and themes/FGD/Number of mentions	FGD 1	FGD 2	FGD 3	FGD 4	FGD 5	FGD 6	Total no. mentions
ASF biosecurity measures perceived as effective
Pig can be confined in houses or by fences, and these can be constructed in different ways	✓	✓	✓	x	x	x	3
Confining pigs prevent contact with other pigs and people	✓	✓	✓	x	x	x	3
Restrict pigs' movement to control what the pigs eat and avoid contact with sick stray pigs and contaminated items	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Disclosing animal health status	x	x	x	✓	✓	x	2
Implementation of local punitive measure	✓	x	x	x	x	x	1
Local knowledge of ASF transmission
ASFV can be transmitted by the wind	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Damp ASFV cannot be blown from carcasses dumped in the swamp	✓	✓	x	x	x	x	2
Flies and wind can carry infective materials	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Dogs, pigs and people can bring contaminated pork or bone	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Feed and water contaminated with urine, faeces and saliva	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
People contaminated with faeces and blood	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Borrowing breeding boars for mating	x	x	✓	✓	✓	✓	4
Contaminated unwashed hands handling feed and pigs	x	x	✓	x	✓	x	2
Use of contaminated utensils, farm tools and protective gear	x	x	x	✓	✓	x	2
Middlemen and slaughterers can transmit disease	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Trade in live pigs can transmit disease	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Vets can transmit disease	x	x	x	✓	x	x	1
Cool temperatures protect pigs, heat kills ASFV	✓	✓	x	x	x	x	2
Disinfection using ash and “Jik”1.	x	x	✓	✓	✓	x	3
Basic hygiene	x	x	✓	x	✓	x	2
IMO technology adoption2.	x	x	x	x	✓	x	1
Leaving farm tools and protective gear at the pigsty	x	✓	✓	x	✓	x	3
Isolating sick or relocating healthy pigs	x	✓	x	x	✓	✓	3
Feed quality and quantity is important for good health and fast growth	x	✓	✓	x	x	x	2
Implementation of biosecurity is partially hindered by cost
Disinfectants, cleaning materials, building materials, fuel and feeds are unaffordable	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Priority given to livelihoods
Carcasses are consumed at home or sold to raise some money and avoid total losses	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Trade in live pigs to protect healthy ones, raise some money and avoid total losses	x	✓	✓	x	✓	✓	4
People bring pork home to eat	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Butchers and middlemen make a profit during outbreaks	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Selling sick pigs poses risk of ASF spread	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	6
Local culture and traditions
Burial of animals is forbidden in the Acholi culture and tradition	x	x	✓	✓	✓	✓	4
It is hard work to dig a grave	x	x	x	x	✓	x	1
It is psychologically painful because it reminds you of burying loved ones	x	x	x	✓	x	✓	2
People can throw bones, pork, and intestine in the pigsty to intentionally infect healthy pigs	x	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	5
Access and quality of veterinary services
Smallholder farmers have access to veterinarians	✓	x	✓	✓	✓	✓	5
Smallholder farmers do not have access to veterinarians	✓	✓	✓	✓	x	x	4
Veterinary treatments are helping	✓	x	✓	✓	x	✓	4
Veterinary treatments are not helping	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	x	6
There is no medicine or vaccine for ASF	x	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	5

ASFV, African swine fever virus; FGD, focus group discussion; IMO, indigenous microorganisms.

Categories are written in bold on a grey background, themes belonging to each category are listed underneath.

✓ = theme was present in this focus group

✗ = theme was not present in this focus group

¹Ash (residue after burning materials) are poured at door entrance to replace footbath. “Jik” is the trade name of a detergent.

²Indigenous microorganism e.g. “lactic acid bacteria” trapped in a solution are poured on floor of pigsty to decompose pig faeces.