African Swine Fever (ASF)

Enric Marco comments on the practical implications of a recent article investigating the transmission of ASF through ingestion of flies.

There is no doubt if the disease is discovered in a major piglet or pork producing/exporting country such as Denmark, Germany, Spain or the USA, the mortality it causes would be only the beginning of the woes.

Prevention against ASF involves farmers, farm staff, veterinarians, lorry drivers, hunters and the Official Veterinary Services.

In this second part the actions described are the ones needed when the disease is already in the country.

Curiously, when I started to think about it, what I had considered as my number one mistake for most of my professional life became the fifth in importance.

10 recomendations to face African Swine Fever (ASF).

The clinical profile seen to date of ASF in Russia and neighboring countries is a typical acute disease. The animals die between 7 and 15 days post-infection and the symptoms observed include fever, huddling together due to cold, and injuries described above.

ASF spreads mainly through the movement of infected pork and other animal products, as well as live animals, which includes wild boar.

This article describes the main diseases that wild boars can transmit to the domestic pig, their prevalences and transmission routes. It also discusses the increase of the wild boar population in Europe.

The diseases shared by livestock and wildlife involve many players: mainly farmers, but also hunters and different public administrations.

The ASF situation in Poland (19 cases and 2 outbreaks in 4 municipalities) seems to be very different from the countries east from Poland: it can be concluded that among wild boar in 4 municipalities the course of the disease is endemic rather than epidemic.

ASF is now firmly established in some areas of the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, where it is causing considerable trade disruptions, plus having a devastating impact on small-scale pig farmers.