How did African swine fever enter China, and what happens if people eat it?

Recently, the African swine fever incident has caused great panic, and some farmers have even lost large sums of money because of it. Although the swine fever epidemic is now less severe than in the early stages and pork prices have risen sharply, many people still dare not eat pork. So how did African swine fever enter China? What happens if people eat it?

1. What is African swine fever?

African swine fever is an acute, febrile, highly contagious infectious disease of pigs caused by African swine fever virus infection. Its virulent strains have a high pathogenicity rate in pigs, reaching up to 100%. At present, there is no specific drug available for treatment, nor any vaccine available for prevention, so once an African swine fever outbreak occurs, the pig herd must be culled and subjected to harmless disposal.

2. How did African swine fever enter China?

The African swine fever strain in our country is very likely homologous to the strain found in Russia. Smuggled pork from the source of the disease, our personnel stationed in Africa, and wild boars along the China-Russia border may all be routes of transmission. Cross-infection through various routes is its source. All localities should actively cooperate with local animal disease prevention and control agencies to carry out disease monitoring and investigation. In particular, in cases such as failed swine fever vaccine immunization or death from unknown causes, they should promptly report to the local veterinary department.

Moreover, since no vaccine that can effectively prevent African swine fever has been developed worldwide, but high temperatures and disinfectants can effectively kill the virus, pig farms should take relevant protective measures to prevent pigs from becoming infected.

3. What happens if people eat pigs with African swine fever?

Eating it raw may cause gastrointestinal discomfort, but eating it cooked is harmless. However, to be safe, since everyone is not sure whether they have eaten cooked pork, and given individual differences in the body's tolerance to the virus, it is best not to continue eating pork in the near future, and then closely observe whether the person who ate the pork has discomfort symptoms such as diarrhea, dizziness, vomiting, or abdominal pain.

If the person who ate meat carrying swine fever develops the above discomfort symptoms, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible and explain the situation to the doctor. If necessary, gastric lavage or drug detoxification should be taken. Do not delay treatment or use medication on your own. Follow the doctor's guidance for the relevant treatment plan.

Overall, African swine fever was transmitted to China through many routes, including smuggled pork, our personnel stationed in Africa, and wild boars along the China-Russia border. However, it is best not to eat pigs with African swine fever, so as to avoid discomfort symptoms such as diarrhea, dizziness, vomiting, and abdominal pain.