Many countries of the world have faced a disease of a global scale, which is still little understood. A disease capable of derailing part of the economy of even the most developed country. "African swine fever" is the name of the disease that affects agriculture and the budget of many states. The fight against African swine fever is carried out everywhere, but so far they have not learned how to effectively defeat it.
African swine fever, with symptoms appearing shortly before the animal dies, is a highly contagious viral disease. The disease virus is very stable and dangerous for wild and domestic pigs of any age. Animals are infected by airborne droplets from sick or already ill individuals. The carriers of the disease are people, vehicles, insects. Outbreaks of the disease appear at any time of the year.
African swine fever: symptoms of the disease
The incubation period of the disease is usually 3 to 9 days. The disease begins acutely with a temperature rise in the animal to 42 degrees Celsius. Main symptomsdisease onsets are:
- high animal body temperature;
- shortness of breath with piercing cough;
- excited behavior;
- inflammation of the eyelids and eyeballs.
At the last stage of the development of the disease, arrhythmia, thirst, weakness, hemorrhages in organs and tissues, paralysis of the limbs occur. Signs of African swine fever often appear late, when the animal can no longer be saved. An ill, but surviving individual is a virus carrier forever. Immunity from the disease is not developed.
Diagnosis of African swine fever (ASF)
To make a diagnosis, the animal is removed for laboratory testing by the veterinary service. It is on the basis of clinical and pathological data that it is concluded that this is African swine fever. The symptoms of the disease are carefully studied in order to differentiate the diagnosis.
African swine fever control
If an animal suspected of ASF is identified, quarantine is imposed on the territory of the farm, and the entire population of pigs is destroyed by a bloodless method. All inventory, manure, feed are burned, and the room is treated three times with a disinfectant solution. The transport that has been in contact with the source of infection is also processed. The import and export of animals from the quarantine zone is immediately excluded.
African swine fever: how to prevent
Prevention measures for ASF infection include:
- freestyle exclusionkeeping animals;
- protecting the farm from other animals entering the territory;
- doing a daily veterinary check on animals;
- disinfection of transport at the entrance to the farm;
- heat treatment of pet food;
- compliance with sanitary standards in the territory where animals are kept, etc.
What to do if you suspect that your animals have African swine fever? Symptoms of the disease are similar to other infections, but it's not worth the risk. You must immediately call the veterinary service, which will determine the disease and the further course of events.
