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African swine fever: 5 minutes to understand this disease detected at the gates of France

2022-05-27T15:24:56.267Z


An outbreak of African swine fever has been discovered in Germany, 6 km from the French border. This disease is not dangerous for


The nightmare of pig farmers is approaching France.

An outbreak of African swine fever has been detected in a farm in Forchheim am Kaiserstuhl, Germany, less than 40 km from Colmar (Alsace).

The 35 pigs that were raised in the open air on this farm were killed and "no case has been identified at this stage among wildlife in the surrounding area", said the French Ministry of Agriculture.

If African swine fever cannot be transmitted to humans, it is deadly for pigs and wild boars and could have disastrous consequences for the economy and foodstuffs.

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Faced with this threat, the German authorities, in conjunction with the European Commission, immediately took measures to identify and prevent contamination: a protection and surveillance zone has been set up, searches for wild boar carcasses have been intensified. and farms close to the controlled farm.

In France, the Ministry of Agriculture will launch a crisis unit “next week” with “all professionals and state services”.

We take stock.

What is this disease?

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease, exclusively affecting domestic pigs and wild boars in Europe.

It was first detected in Kenya in 1921 and spread across the African continent, before becoming endemic in the sub-Saharan region, reports the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety. (Anses).

High fever, redness of the skin, loss of appetite and vomiting are some of the symptoms.

African swine fever knows neither treatment nor vaccine, "which leads to the strain of the virus currently circulating a high mortality of around 95% of cases", indicates the Ministry of Agriculture.

As a general rule, death "occurs in four to 13 days with a rate of 100% in the acute form, in 30 to 40 days with less mortality in the subacute form", according to ANSES.

The disease can evolve for several months in the chronic form.

ASF exists in wild African suids (red bush pigs, warthogs and other forest hogs), but these animals do not develop any symptoms.

“It is likely that the immune system of warthogs has long learned to control the infection as part of a virus/host adaptation,” explains the scientific body.

How is it transmitted?

The ASF virus is transmitted from one animal to another through the consumption of infected foodstuffs - for example if domestic pigs are fed leftovers - or through contact with any contaminated medium.

It is extremely resistant: the virus can survive for more than two months in meat and sausages from affected animals, but also on clothing, shoes, vehicle wheels and other materials.

“Consequently, human behavior plays a big role in the spread of this disease across borders in the absence of appropriate measures,” recalls the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

African swine fever

What are the possible consequences?

On an affected farm scale, all pigs are culled.

Conspecifics from neighboring farms are usually also to avoid the spread.

The economic consequences linked to the virus can therefore be heavy for breeders.

“Pig keeping is an essential source of income for households in many countries.

The spread of ASF around the world has devastated family farms, which played an indispensable role in the subsistence of the population and contributed to social advancement.

It has also restricted access to health services and education,” notes the OIE.

At the national level, the country affected by the disease loses its disease-free status, which implies a limitation or even a ban on exports outside the European Union not only of live pigs but also of pork-based foodstuffs.

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States generally negotiate “regionalization” agreements, so that their free territories can continue to export.

France signed an agreement with China in December, allowing it to continue exporting pork to this major customer, even if a case of African swine fever were to arise in the territory.

China, the world's leading producer, consumer and importer of this meat, is a big market for France.

In 2020, the country absorbed almost a third of French exports.

Which countries are concerned?

African swine fever has never been so widespread, warns the OIE.

Since January 2020, cases have been reported in 38 countries across five continents, with over 1.1 million cases in domestic pigs and over 34,000 in wild boars.

In Europe, where ASF appeared in 2014, it is present in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia), Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, in Germany.

It also circulates in wildlife in Italy (Piedmont, Liguria, Sardinia), where an emergency plan to stem the virus in the Rome region, which has had eight cases since the start of the year, has been launched.

France has already experienced sporadic outbreaks in 1964, 1967 and 1974, but has been unscathed since.

The disease also affects the African and Asian continents and, since July 2021, the American continent in the Caribbean (Dominican Republic).

Source: leparis

All news articles on 2022-05-27

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