More than sixte per cent of the world pork population is in Asia.
Pork is widely consumed but you know what, this delicacy which is a source of food and income for millions of people is at risk.
In recent years african swine fever, a deadly pig disease, has been spreading through Asi.
In the Pacific it has killed millions of pigs, bankrupted farmers, devastated livelihoods of small village farms and had a huge impact on prok production all over the world.
The ASF virus is very tough and the fatality rate can reach 100 per cent.
The ASV vire can survive in pork products, carcasses as well on the surface of production equipment and clothing or other materials. If you don’t pay attention and don’t follow good biosecurity practices the virus could get into your farm at anytime
The risk of fake African Swine Fever Vaccines
There is also another danger. There are some unlicensed products on the market sold as asf vaccines, but they’re either fake or don’t protect pigs at. All of these “vaccines” have been developed without undergoing thorough testing and are not safe vaccines.
There are important tools to combat contagious diseases in humans and animals but they need to be properly tested for safety and efficacy before they are approved for use.
The asf virus is particularly difficult to make a safe and effective vaccine for it and right now no country has authorized any asf vaccine.
A fake vaccine ASF vaccine may introduce new and different strains of AF virus. If you’re not sure about what is safe to use contact your animal health authorities for trusted information. In fact, asf can be prevented by strictly following some key biosecurity procedures, which are currently the best recommendation to keep your pigs healthy and protect them from asf virus.
Measures to prevent ASF spread at pig farms
- You should strictly control access of staff and visitors to the farm,
- prevent wild boars or other animals from contacting your pigs,
- maintain disinfection and segregation between different parts of the farm at all times and teach all staff so they know how to do this correctly
- Always wash your hands and take a bath thoroughly before and after visiting another farm wear dedicated clothing and footwear on the farm clean
- scrub and disinfect vehicles, footwear and equipment
- ensure you remove all visible organic material before disinfecting
- do not feed your pigs with swell or kitchen wastes unless they’re properly boiled for at least 30 minutes to kill asf virus
- segregate new pigs for 30 days completely
- isolate any animal that looks sick and contacts your local veterinary services immediately
- create and maintain physical barriers to limit the opportunities of diseases spread by humans, animals and equipment
If pig farmers always follow these procedures, they will help keeping pigs safe and healthy. No matter how tempting it may be never use any unlicensed vaccines. Prevention, control and safety measures must be a constant part of your daily work at the pig farm.