AFRICAN SWINE FLU (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: The Centre reassured that the African swine flu, currently spreading in a few pig farms in Kerala, is non-zoonotic and poses no threat to humans.

African Swine Flu

• About: ASF is a severe viral disease that affects wild and domestic pigs typically resulting in an acute haemorrhagic fever.
• Symptoms: Vomiting, Diarrhea,reddening or darkening of the skin, particularly ears and snout, gummed up eyes etc
• Threat: ASF is not a threat to human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans.
• Lack of Vaccine: Currently, there is no effective vaccine available to combat ASF.
• Initial Detection: ASF was first identified in Africa during the 1920s.
• Global situation: ASF continues to spread worldwide, threatening pig health and welfare. The disease has reached multiple countries across Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific, affecting both domestic and wild pigs.
• In India: It was first confirmed in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in February-March 2020.
• Vaccine: Currently, there is no effective vaccine available against ASF, so prevention by adopting strict biosecurity measures is the only way to prevent ASF.