African swine fever set to claim a quarter of world’s pig population
- While the disease does not spread to humans, it is virtually 100 per cent fatal once embedded in pig populations
- The outbreak in China has been particularly serious, with as many as 100 million pigs lost already according to the country’s official declared inventory
Dr Mark Schipp, the World Organisation for Animal Health’s vice-president, said the spread of the disease in the past year to countries including China, which has half the world’s pig population, had inflamed a worldwide crisis.
Schipp said veterinary scientists worldwide were trying to find a vaccine for the disease, but that it was a “complex challenge” because of the nature of the virus. While the disease does not spread to humans, it is virtually 100 per cent fatal once embedded in pig populations.
It can be transmitted through direct contact with infected animals such as wild boar, and via ticks. But the virus can also survive for several months in processed meat, and several years in frozen carcasses, so meat products are a particular concern for cross-border transmission. In July meat containing the virus was found in products seized by port authorities in Northern Ireland.
