What are the symptoms of African swine fever, what happens if humans eat it, and how is it treated?

Recently, the topic of African swine fever has never stopped. Various provinces, cities, districts and counties across our country have all been affected to some extent, so what are the manifestations of African swine fever symptoms? How should it be treated? What happens if humans eat it? Let's take a look together!

I. Symptoms of African swine fever

1. The body temperature of affected pigs rises to 41°C, lasting 4 days; death occurs 3-6 days after infection, and the body temperature drops in the 48 hours before death;

2. Sick pigs show a decrease in white blood cells, especially a decrease in lymphocytes;

3. Sick pigs show clearly demarcated purple patches on the ears, nose, perineum, tail, feet and other areas;

4. There is congestion or hemorrhage in the throat and epiglottis;

5. Pigs begin to show a state of extreme exhaustion, with a rapid pulse and difficulty breathing.

6. Necropsy shows an enlarged spleen that is black in color and brittle. Lymph nodes are enlarged, brittle, fragile, hemorrhagic, and shaped like black blood tumors.

If the above lesions appear, it is very likely that African swine fever has occurred.

II. How is African swine fever treated?

Although the topic of African swine fever has been spreading all along, no vaccine capable of effectively preventing African swine fever has been developed anywhere in the world so far. Therefore, in daily life everyone must be sure to do the following:

1. Strictly control the entry of personnel, vehicles and susceptible animals into farms; personnel, vehicles and items entering and leaving farms and their production areas must strictly implement disinfection and other measures.

2. Raise pigs in confinement as much as possible, adopt isolation and protective measures, and avoid contact with wild boars and soft ticks of the genus Ornithodoros as much as possible.

3. It is strictly forbidden to use swill or food waste to feed pigs.

4. Actively cooperate with local animal disease prevention and control agencies in carrying out disease monitoring and investigation; especially in cases such as failure of swine fever vaccine immunization or death from unknown causes, promptly report to the local veterinary department.

For different regions, temperature changes and the breeding environment are all key, so everyone must not be careless.

III. What happens if humans eat pork with African swine fever

First of all, we need to understand one point: African swine fever only infects pigs, not humans.

1. Now, because of the panic over African swine fever, all pork available on the market has been strictly quarantined by epidemic prevention stations before going on sale. So everyone must buy pork through proper channels, which also gives you more protection.

2. The African swine fever virus is relatively sensitive to high temperatures; generally heating at 60°C for 20 minutes can inactivate it, and the processing conditions for meat products sold on our country's market can all inactivate the virus. So there is no need to stop eating pork just because an African swine fever outbreak has occurred somewhere.

That is where Tuliu Network has summarized and organized the related issues about African swine fever symptoms and treatment for you today. We hope everyone will not cause unnecessary panic. Those who should eat pork can still eat it as usual, and farmers just need to pay more attention to hygiene and prevention.

Related reading:How much compensation is there for swine fever culling in 2019? Can you eat pork during a swine fever outbreak?