African Swine Fever (ASF) - Biosecurity Program

African Swine Fever (ASF) can be considered one of the most feared epidemic diseases of pig production, the others being Swine Vesicular Disease (SVD), Porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDv) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

African Swine Fever (ASF) is extremely dangerous due to its highly contagious characteristics, ability to be easily spread via a variety of vectors, high morbidity and mortality rates, and extreme resilience to withstand high and low temperatures. Add to this the fact that there is currently no effective treatment or vaccine available, and it is easy to understand why pig producers fear this disease.

Biosecurity is the only real way of stopping its spread. It will reduce the impact on affected farms and will be a key to clinical recovery and virus elimination, especially on larger farms. Producers need to achieve the highest possible levels of biosecurity, leveraged by good buy-in and compliance from management, their staff and their suppliers.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is very good at ‘Hitching a ride’ so it spreads easily.

A high proportion of spread will be by pig transportation, and so is the first target of biosecurity. However, there are many other means of spread. All other transport is a risk, from feed to dead haul, to service vehicles, to manure removal. Perhaps the next biggest risk is from transmission via contact with wild boar. People can also be vectors, via their clothes, on their boots and equipment, or any inanimate objects they may bring onto the unit.

The choice of disinfectant is vital. It needs to be active against African Swine Fever (ASF) but also have a broad spectrum of activity against other pig pathogens because we still need to control them. ViralFX™ have an independently tested broad spectrum of activity.