News:The outbreak of African Swine fever in China has lead to massive mass cullings and a subsequent increase in the price of the pork meat.
Facts:
About African Swine fever:
- African swine fever(ASF) is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild pigs which is responsible for serious economic and production losses.
- It is caused by a large DNA virus of the Asfarviridae family which also infects ticks of the genus Ornithodoros.
- The signs of ASF and classical swine fever(CSF) may be similar but the ASF virus is unrelated to the CSF virus.
- ASF is transmitted through (a)direct contact by live or dead pigs and pork products and (b)indirect contact through contaminated feed or on contaminated clothing vehicles or as other fomites.
- There is no approved vaccine against African Swine fever.
