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African swine fever is an animal disease and harmless to humans. For domestic and wild boars, however, it is often fatal. How is the virus transmitted and what happens now? An overview.
African swine fever is a notifiable animal disease that is feared among pig farmers and is transmitted by viruses.
The virus is harmless to humans. However, for domestic pigs and wild boars, the disease is often fatal. So far there is no vaccination. The pathogen is very resistant, it can survive for a long time in the environment, for example in the feces of sick animals. Even if a sick wild boar dies and rots in the forest, the virus remains infectious for several weeks or months. The virus survives for months in raw ham and is even contagious for years in frozen meat.
Originally, African swine fever was largely confined to Africa. The exceptions in Europe were the Iberian Peninsula and Sardinia. The epidemic is now also found in Central and Eastern Europe and in many Asian countries.
In Poland, Germany’s neighboring country, the disease has been rampant since 2014. There were nearly 70 cases there this year, mostly on farms that have only a few domestic or individual pigs.
According to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, the disease spread from Georgia to neighboring countries since 2007. It has performed in the Baltic countries and Poland since 2014, and in 2017 it reached the Czech Republic, Moldova and Romania. In 2018, the first cases were reported in Hungary and Bulgaria, as well as in Belgium and China. In 2019, more countries from Eastern Europe and Asia were added: Slovakia and Serbia, as well as Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, North Korea, Myanmar, South Korea, the Philippines, East Timor, Indonesia and Laos. There have also been outbreaks in domestic pigs in Greece and India since early 2020.
The disease can be transmitted directly from one animal to another, through secretions, blood or semen. Wild boars can also become infected by eating sausage or meat from infected animals, for example, if someone has simply dumped the remains of their provisions on the side of the road. The virus can also spread to cars and trucks. This explains the great geographical leaps in diffusion. The resistant pathogen can also adhere to hunting gear, boots, and clothing.
That regulates the regulation of swine fever. First, the authorities established districts in which strict rules apply immediately. Anyone coming from outside will be warned by roadside signs. For example, it says “African swine fever in wild boar – buffer zone.” Or a few kilometers closer to the action: “Zone in danger”. There, hunters may be forced to specifically search for dead animals and hunt more wild boar. Additionally, mobile fences can help contain disease. The site of the wild boar in the Schenkendöbern community in Brandenburg will be fenced within a radius of four kilometers.
Samples are taken from each dead wild boar and sent to a state laboratory to test for African swine fever.
Pig farmers in the area must ensure, among other things, that their pigs do not come into contact with wild boar; This is also to the benefit of the farmers themselves. This is why domestic pigs no longer exercise. Disinfection of the barn doors is also essential. Dogs can only go out under supervision.
Germany is no longer disease free. That has consequences, after all, Germany is one of the largest exporters of pork in the world. China and other Asian countries often impose bans on the import of meat from regions where the pest has been detected. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture declined to comment on the effects of exports in third countries.
According to the statistics office, in 2019 around 2.4 million tonnes of pork were exported from Germany. Around 1.9 million tonnes of this went to EU countries. According to Minister Julia Klöckner, there will only be restrictions for pig farmers who are in a restriction area that has not yet been determined by the state government in Brandenburg. Pigs are not allowed out of this area.
