What is African Swine Fever? 10 things you need to know
The highly contagious viral disease which has devastating effects on pig populations, doesn't spread to humans
With the most recent case of African swine fever reported from Kerala's Wayanad on Friday, here are 10 things you should know about the disease:
1) African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, whose mortality rate can reach 100%.
2) The African swine fever virus doesn't spread to humans.
3) There is currently no effective vaccine against ASF which has devastating effects on pig populations and the farming economy.
4) The virus is highly resistant in the environment as it can survive on clothes, boots, wheels, and other materials. It can also survive in various pork products, such as ham, sausages or bacon.
5) Human behaviour can play an important role in spreading this disease across borders if adequate measures are not taken.
6) ASF which is responsible for massive losses in pig populations and drastic economic consequences, has become a major crisis for the pork industry in recent years.
7) The disease is a great cause of concern for biodiversity and the balance of ecosystems, as it not only affects the domestic farmed pigs, but also wild boars, including native breeds.
8) ASF continues to spread worldwide as it has reached multiple countries across Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific, affecting both domestic and wild pigs.
9) In the most recent case, the disease was confirmed among pigs of two farms at Mananthavady in Kerala's Wayanad district after the samples were tested at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal.
10) Directions have been issued to cull 300 pigs of the second farm, after the disease was confirmed in the area.
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First Published:22 Jul 2022, 11:37 AM IST
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