Impact of African swine fever emergency on the mental health of first responders in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

African swine fever (ASF) has become a global pandemic, affecting nearly 2 million pigs since 2022 alone and causing significant disruption to food security and trade. The Dominican Republic (DR) has been affected by ASF since 2021. Veterinarians are key first responders in animal health emergencies and at risk for negative impacts from prolonged emergency response. We used mixed methods and network analysis to characterize the mental and social impacts of ASF on 29 DR swine veterinarians. All 29 veterinarians were involved with the ASF response through field-based or non-field-based roles. Responses were gathered via a questionnaire and analyzed using network analysis. Preliminary quantitative results were explored further through qualitative focus group interviews. Veterinarians experienced high levels of anger and hopelessness from the ASF epidemic, which were centrally located variables in the network. They were associated with a perceived lack of communication, trust, and transparency between government authorities, veterinarians, and farmers. The impact that animal diseases have on the mental health of veterinarians is often neglected. As animal, human, and zoonotic diseases, such as ASF and avian influenza, continue to emerge and expand, these results bring attention to the need for considering actions to prevent and mitigate their impact on the mental health of first responders and, ultimately, improve the effectiveness of the response.