African swine fever virus is not transmitted through the air
Scientists around the world have proven and confirmed that the African swine fever (ASF) virus is not transmitted through the air but is mainly transmitted through direct or indirect contact with the pathogen.
That is the affirmation of Professor Jeroen Dewulf, from Ghent University, Belgium, through sharing with experts at the Institute of Animal Husbandry (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development).
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From recent research results, scientists around the world have proven and confirmed that African swine fever (ASF) virus is not transmitted through the air. |
Professor Jeroen Dewulf affirmed that studies also show that the ASF virus is not much affected by weather such as rain or sunshine, cold or heat, and in fact, the ASF virus exists in almost all types of weather in the hemisphere.
Besides, there is no research showing that ASF virus is cyclical and the virus exists for a long time in the body of pigs, especially wild boars.
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Professor Jeroen Dewulf, University of Ghent, Belgium. |
According to Professor Jeroen Dewulf, after 6 months of testing, scientists still found live ASF virus in the remaining body parts of the pig, so the life span of the ASF virus could be longer if there is a host.
Therefore, while waiting for an ASF vaccine, livestock farmers in Vietnam should proactively improve biosecurity, because countries around the world currently have only this technical solution.
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Biosecurity is currently the only solution to prevent and live with ASF while waiting for a vaccine. |
Professor Jeroen Dewulf shared that experience from countries that have experienced ASF shows that ASF is mainly spread through four main sources:
The first, direct contact between healthy pigs and sick pigs through blood, saliva, meat, organs...
Monday,through intermediate hosts such as humans, rats, mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and other pets.
Tuesday,through means of transporting animal feed, transporting waste, livestock equipment, protection.
Wednesday,due to the use of surface water sources such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams, which are not guaranteed to be free of pathogens.
In addition, there is another secondary cause that only exists in Vietnam, which is the practice of raising livestock using leftover food collected from restaurants, hotels and collective kitchens.