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.