African swine fever (ASF)

Pork exports to China increased during 2019-20. China represented 45% of global pork imports in 2020.

This virus was first detected in Kenya more than 100 years ago, hence its name. Since then, it has spread to numerous Asian and European countries, and has even reached island nations such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In the case of Spain, the possible origin of the virus is being studied, but it could have come from any of the many affected countries.

No. Swine influenza and ASF are different diseases caused by different viruses and have completely different symptoms and consequences.

Infected animals shed large quantities of the virus in feces, blood, saliva, etc. The ASF virus is very resistant and can survive in the environment for a long time and be unintentionally transported by vehicle wheels, bicycles, footwear, pets, etc., to areas where the virus was not present, thus increasing the number of wild boars that could become infected, sick, and die, and increasing the risk of the virus reaching pig farms.

There are several reasons. Although controls exist at airports, ports, etc., it is impossible to guarantee that there are no illegal entries of meat products from countries affected by diseases that do not exist in Spain. Many pathogens can survive in these meat products for long periods of time and cause serious illnesses if wild boars have access to them.

If the animals become accustomed to being fed by humans or having access to garbage, they frequent inhabited areas more often, creating greater conflict with the population (for example, traffic accidents). Access to constant food sources such as garbage or food provided by humans can encourage wild boars to reproduce beyond the capacity of the local ecosystem, making them dependent on these food sources that are outside of their natural diet, which makes them highly vulnerable.

It is very important that animals potentially infected with this virus do not leave their usual area so that they do not spread the virus to another area and infect a larger number of wild boars. Therefore, in this higher-risk area, any activity that could frighten them and cause them to leave their usual area is being banned. Furthermore, vehicles themselves, hunters, and their dogs could also help spread the virus through contact. Hunting and forestry work are prohibited, and public access to the area is restricted.

Cat food is very appealing to wild boars. If it is regularly placed in specific areas they can access, the animals easily become accustomed to this appealing food source.

African swine fever is a virus that has no treatment or vaccine and can cause up to 100% mortality in infected wild boars and/or pigs. While it does not affect humans through contact or meat consumption, the spread of the virus would cause high mortality among wild boars and domestic pigs, resulting in enormous economic losses in the swine industry, largely due to export restrictions.