What are the typical symptoms of African swine fever in infected sows?

African swine fever, which began in the second half of 2018, severely affected China's pig industry, causing the death of many sows, boars and piglets. So do you know what symptoms sows show when they contract African swine fever? And how to prevent it?

What symptoms do sows show when they contract African swine fever?

Sows with the most acute form of African swine fever develop high fever (40.5-42°C), reddened and purplish skin with bleeding points, vomiting, bleeding from the mouth and nose, bloody stools, and miscarriage, followed by sudden death; while the subacute form causes weight loss, occasional rises in body temperature, red patches and ulcers on local areas of the skin, and possible necrosis of the ears, abdomen and inner thighs.

How to prevent African swine fever?

1. Strengthen emergency response measures by culling sick pigs and at-risk herds to eliminate the source of infection promptly.

2. Prohibit the outward transport of pigs and their products from epidemic areas, restrict the transport of pigs and their products from high-risk areas to low-risk areas, close the green channels for the transport of live livestock and poultry, close live pig trading markets in high-risk areas, strengthen the management of pig transport vehicles, and cut off the routes of epidemic transmission.

3. Prohibit feeding pigs with kitchen leftovers, strengthen prevention and control at large-scale pig farms and breeding pig farms, raise the level of biosecurity protection at farms, and protect pigs from virus infection. Through the formulation and implementation of a series of policies and measures, China's epidemic prevention and control has achieved positive results.

4. Pig houses and equipment should be cleaned and disinfected regularly. Before disinfection, first clean organic matter from the barn, equipment and transport tools. Transport vehicles and employees should be disinfected when entering and leaving the pig farm. Effective disinfectants include detergents, hypochlorites, alkalis and glutaraldehyde. Equipment that is not easily infected should be exposed to the sun.

5. Reduce the number of visitors, load and unload pigs around the perimeter of the fence, and clean and disinfect transport trucks after unloading pigs.

When pigs on the farm show related symptoms, report them promptly to the local animal epidemic prevention department and take preventive measures.