In addition to some other parts of Ukraine, nearby countries like Moldova, Kazakhstan and Latvia – which have large pig populations raised on household or family farms, and oftentimes weak biosecurity protocols – are also now at high risk of disease introduction.
Juan Lubroth, FAO’s chief veterinary officer. “National and local authorities in the entire region should scale up their prevention measures and be ready to respond in case of further outbreaks. This could be the first of more outbreaks to come, according to our disease analyses.”
African swine fever (ASF) doesn’t affect humans, but mortalities in domestic pigs can be extremely high.
In 2011, up to 300,000 pigs died or were culled as a result of ASF outbreaks in the Russian Federation, incurring an estimated $240m in economic losses. ASF is caused by a highly infectious virus that affects domestic pigs and wild pig species.
Humans often contribute to its spread, even via what would seem a harmless discarded sandwich. Foodstuffs that contain ASF-contaminated pork or pork products, such as cured meats, can be consumed by scavenging free-ranging pigs, kept by many vulnerable families in the region for income and their own household food needs.
These pigs can be exposed by feeding on contaminated food among refuse, by consuming improperly disposed pig carcasses and pork parts that are infected or if they eat a discarded ham sandwich that contains the virus.
Source: FAO
.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024