How dangerous is African swine fever in Vietnam?

1. African swine fever appeared nearly 100 years ago.

African swine fever causes pigs to have red, purple skin and hemorrhage.

In 1921, African swine fever first appeared in Kenya; it then spread rapidly, becoming an epidemic in many African countries.

In 1957, the disease was discovered in Europe; by 2007 - 2008, this epidemic had appeared in many European countries and in the Americas.

From late 2017 to February 2019, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said that 20 countries reported African swine fever. In total, more than 1.08 million pigs were forced to be destroyed.

China alone reported a total of 105 outbreaks in 25 provinces (many of which occurred in Yunnan and Guangdong provinces - near the Vietnamese border). Currently, more than 950,000 pigs have been culled.

On February 19, 2019, the Vietnamese veterinary industry officially announced the appearance of 3 outbreaks of African swine fever in 2 provinces: Thai Binh and Hung Yen.

2.Clinical symptoms

The incubation period is usually 5 - 10 days. The disease appears suddenly, the pig has a high fever of up to 42 degrees Celsius, lasting continuously for 4 consecutive days... During the time the pig has a fever, it is still active, eating and drinking normally, giving the feeling that the pig is completely healthy, causing the farmer to not pay attention.

African swine fever has 3 manifestations:

- Acute form:The pig had a high fever of 42 degrees Celsius and was in a completely normal condition. But about 48 hours before it died, the pig became tired, lay flat; had difficulty walking; and its hind legs were paralyzed, causing the pig to flail when chased.

Pigs stop eating completely, many hemorrhagic spots appear and quickly turn dark purple and necrotic; pus begins to flow from the nostrils and eyes; Before death, diarrhea or constipation appears.

- Chronic form:Often observed in places where the disease has frequently occurred - old epidemics... Chronic symptoms are similar to acute symptoms but are milder; mainly respiratory and digestive disorders. Mortality rate 30-50%.

- Latent form (carrier):Pigs that survive acute and chronic disease carry the pathogen; they carry the pathogen for a very long time, and thus, pigs in persistent outbreaks build up their own resistance and rarely get sick in clinical form.

However, these pigs sometimes have symptoms of intermittent fever, runny eyes, and runny nose similar to those of swine flu.

3. African swine fever causes a pig mortality rate of up to 100%.

According to the World Organization for Animal Health, African swine fever is a dangerous infectious disease caused by a virus that spreads rapidly among pigs; the mortality rate is high, up to 100%. The virus is found in the blood and secretions of pigs infected with and killed by this disease.

African swine fever causes a mortality rate of up to 100%.

African swine fever virus also exists in pork and pork products; the virus is resistant to low temperatures, can withstand for a long period of 3 - 6 months; the virus is destroyed at 56°C for 70 minutes, or at 60°C for 20 minutes.

This virus is transmitted through the respiratory and digestive tracts, through direct or indirect contact with infected objects such as barns, means of transport, tools, clothing, and eating leftover food containing infected pork or being bitten by soft ticks.

The virus that causes the disease is highly resistant to the environment; pigs that recover from the disease will have a chronic form and can carry the virus for life.

4. How does African swine fever affect humans?

The disease does not pose any direct threat to human health. However, according to Associate Professor Nguyen Ba Hien - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam Academy of Agriculture, swine fever does not cause disease in humans but can be transmitted to flies, mosquitoes, rats, cats, chickens, ducks...

Worryingly, there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for African swine fever. Therefore, the main solution is prevention, detecting and thoroughly handling outbreaks when they are small and have not spread.

Pigs carrying the cholera virus can contract other dangerous diseases such as blue ear disease, flu, typhoid... These diseases are dangerous to humans because they disrupt the digestive system, especially when eating blood pudding or undercooked, diseased pork.