Is called “African swine fever»The new emergency that prompted the president of the Lazio Region, Nicola Zingaretti, to sign on Sunday 8 May an order to contain the spread of the infectionafter a first case found in an animal from a nature reserve in the capital.
The first case of 2022, in Italy, dates back to 7 January, when the positivity was confirmed in a wild boar found dead in Piedmont, in the Municipality of Ovada, in the province of Alessandria. Before that time, in our country, the disease was present only in Sardinia, where in recent years there has been a constant and clear improvement in the epidemiological situation. The virus found in Piedmont is also genetically different from the one circulating in Sardinia and corresponds to the one circulating in Europe for some years.
The intervention measures have not yet been defined in detail, although an important selection and abatement plan is being consideredwhich reduces the number and the presence of wild boars in the Roman area, given the current diffusion in various naturalistic areas of Lazio.
What is African swine fever and how is it transmitted?
African swine fever (ASF) is a viral disease affecting pigs and wild boars. Considered highly contagious and often lethal to animals, it is not, however, transmissible to human beingsas highlighted on the site of the Ministry of Health.
This disease is not transmissible to humans either through direct contact with sick animals or through food of swine origin. However, man can be vehicle of transmission of the virus through the contamination of vehicles, clothing, equipment, food of origin or containing pork, even seasoned.
There are no vaccines or specific treatments, which is why it generates serious socio-economic consequences in the countries affected by it.
The virus can survive for several months in the surrounding environment and in the carcasses of infected animals. The pork smoking process doesn’t always destroy it.
What are the symptoms of African swine fever?
The way in which swine fever manifests itself can vary and the symptoms are not always easily recognizable. Generally, infected animals die within 10 days and show all or some of the following:
- fever
- loss of appetite
- weakness of the hindquarters with consequent uncertain gait
- breathing difficulties and oculo-nasal discharge
- constipation
- spontaneous abortions
- internal bleeding
- noticeable bleeding on the ears and hips
Domestic pigs can be infected in a variety of ways, for example by coming into contact with other sick animals from infected areas or with contaminated materials or while feeding on leftover food. Animals that overcome the disease can remain carriers of the virus for about a year, thus playing a fundamental role for the persistence of the virus in endemic areas and for its transmission.
Can pork products harm our health?
Since the plague virus ASF is not transmissible to humans, pork products can be safely consumed. However, waste must be properly disposed of.
Furthermore, in the European Union, following the notification of ASF outbreaks on farms, strict control measures are foreseenranging from the slaughter and destruction of pigs, to the establishment of infected areas around outbreaks, both in the domestic sector and in wild boars, where the inward and outward movement of animals and products, including by-products, is prohibited, unless specific treatment aimed at eliminating the presence of the virus, performed in authorized establishments.
The handling of live pigs and pig products, including by-products, is permitted by way of derogation and only after the favorable execution of strict health controls. Furthermore, outside the infected areas, the pigs sent to the slaughterhouse are subjected to pre-slaughter visits and post-slaughter that ensure the elimination of animals from the food chain in case of suspicion.
Source: Vanity Fair
