African swine fever
African swine fever
African swine fever, or ASF for short, is a highly contagious animal disease. The highly resistant virus can be transmitted via direct contact between infected and healthy pigs - in particular via blood contact. The disease can also be transmitted via contaminated feed, contaminated objects (vehicles, agricultural equipment, clothing, hunting equipment, etc.) or food.
For the Waldeck-Frankenberg district, the greatest risk of introduction comes from pork, sausage or hunting trophies brought in by people from the infection areas. The high volume of lorries from Eastern European countries - which supply the large logistics centres of internationally active companies in the district - poses a high risk of introduction. An outbreak of the disease would have serious economic consequences in addition to the grave effects on the animals.
The district of Waldeck-Frankenberg has been preparing for this for a long time - through educational work, early detection and preventive measures:
- Multilingual posters for lorry drivers, especially on the main roads and well-known rest areas
- Information on proper disposal of organic waste, possible transmission routes, risk of infection from hunting trips and preventive biosecurity measures
- Increased monitoring of livestock farmers for compliance with biosecurity measures
- Acquisition of a disinfection sluice that can clean contaminated vehicles
- Formation of a crisis team consisting of hunters, farmers' associations, forestry offices and the National Park Authority
- Control of the wild boar population together with hunters and intensive sampling of fallen game
- Concept for recovering dead animals
Important information...
...for hunters
As part of disease prevention, the district asks all those authorised to hunt to keep an eye out for so-called indicator pigs. These are sick or accidentally killed wild boars that have been found dead. Symptoms of ASF in animals that are still alive include fever, weakness, reluctance to eat, movement disorders and breathing problems, diarrhoea, bleeding from the nose, anus and/or skin bleeding and discolouration as well as abortions. In some cases, the animals show a reduced willingness to flee. If an indicator pig is found or shot, it should be sampled. Swab samples and accompanying documents are available from the district. In addition, the carcass should be secured with a tarpaulin until the results of the examination are available. If the result is negative, the tarpaulin can be recovered and the wild boar can be dealt with as usual.
...for nature lovers & tourists
- Only dispose of food waste in closed waste containers!
- Do not leave any food waste in the countryside!
- Do not bring any food from your holiday or affected regions!
- Clean your equipment thoroughly (clothing, footwear, bikes, walking poles, etc.)!
- If you are travelling from affected areas, clean and disinfect your equipment thoroughly before you arrive!
- Please do not feed leftover food to animals!
- Keep away from domestic and wild pigs!
- Do not touch any animal carcasses!
- Report any carcasses found to the responsible authorised hunter immediately!
...for pig & hobby farmers
Pig farmers should sensitively adhere to the specified biosecurity measures and register all their animals - including hobby farms - with the district authorities.
Frequently asked questions:
What is African swine fever (ASF)?
African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic and wild pigs. It leads to serious health problems and often has a fatal outcome for infected animals.
Is African swine fever dangerous for humans?
No, African swine fever is not transmissible to humans and therefore poses no risk to human health.
How is African swine fever transmitted?
The virus can be transmitted through direct contact between infected and healthy animals, through contaminated food, animal products, tools or clothing and through some types of ticks.
What are the symptoms of African swine fever in pigs?
Symptoms can include high fever, loss of appetite, weakness, skin haemorrhages, vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing problems. Infected animals often die within a few days of the first symptoms appearing.
How can African swine fever be diagnosed?
The diagnosis is usually made using laboratory tests that can detect the virus in blood or tissue samples.
Is there a treatment or vaccination against African swine fever?
There is currently no specific treatment or authorised vaccination against African swine fever. Control is therefore focussed on prevention and disease management.
What measures can be taken to prevent the spread of African swine fever?
Prevention measures include strict biosecurity measures in pig farms, the control and monitoring of wild boar, a ban on feeding kitchen waste to pigs and compliance with international transport and trade regulations.
What should a pig farmer do if he suspects a case of African swine fever?
Pig farmers should immediately contact the county's food control, animal welfare and veterinary service, take quarantine measures and not transport pigs, products or materials from the farm or transport or sell materials from the farm until an official diagnosis has been confirmed.
How does the disease control work in the event of an outbreak?
In the event of an outbreak, environmental zones are established around the affected farm, strict biosecurity measures are enforced, infected and potentially infected animals are culled and the affected areas are disinfected to prevent further spread.