Classical Swine Fever
- Category
Health Issues
- Published
29th Apr, 2020
-
Amid Coronavirus outbreak, 1300 pigs died of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in Assam.
Context
Amid Coronavirus outbreak, 1300 pigs died of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in Assam.
About
- Classical swine fever (CSF), also known as hog cholera, is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild swine.
- It is caused by a virus of the genus Pestivirusof the family Flaviviridae, which is closely related to the viruses that cause bovine viral diarrhoea in cattle and border disease in sheep.
- There is only one serotype of CSF virus (CSFV).
- CSF is a disease listed by the OIE World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code and must be reported to the OIE (OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code).
Transmission and spread:
- Direct contact: The most common method of transmission is through direct contact between healthy swine and those infected with CSF virus. The virus is shed in saliva, nasal secretions, urine, and feces.
- Contact with contaminated items: Contact with contaminated vehicles, pens, feed, or clothing may spread the disease.
- Animals that are chronic carriers of the disease (persistently infected) may show no clinical signs of illness but may shed the virus in their feces.
- Offspring of infected sows can become infected in the uterus, and can shed the virus for months.
- CSF virus can survive in pork and processed pork products for months when meat is refrigerated and for years when it is frozen.
- Pigs can become infected by eating CSF-infected pork meat or products.
- The disease has been spread through legal and illegal transport of animals, and by feeding swill containing infective tissues to pigs.
Geographical distribution:
- CSF is found in Central and South America, Europe, and Asia and parts of Africa. North America, Australia and New Zealand are currently free of the disease.
- In the 1990’s large CSF outbreaks occurred in The Netherlands (1997), Germany (1993-2000), Belgium (1990, 1993, 1994) and Italy (1995, 1996, 1997).
How CSF is different from swine flu?
- CSF is a different disease to swine flu. The virus does not affect people and there is no impact on human health.
- Swine flu is an infection caused by a virus. It's named for a virus that pigs can get. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen.
- In 2009 a strain of swine flu called H1N1 infected many people around the world.
- The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human.