20/03/2024
The deadly disease every pig farmer should watch out for
Pig rearing remains a lucrative business, but it is often disrupted by diseases.
One of the diseases that attack pigs is the African Swine Fever. The disease is characterised by loss of appetite; the skin under the ears, snout, legs and abdomen becomes dark blue, and the animals vomit and cough.
The pigs may further bleed from the nose and re**um, have difficulties in breathing and they will diarrhoea. In short, African Swine Fever is the most deadly pig disease.
The viral disease is highly contagious and affects domesticated and wild pigs and warthogs. It is transmitted mainly through direct contact with already infected pigs, their body fluids or their droppings, indirectly by ingestion of infected feedstuff especially garbage and by ticks that are vectors of the causing virus.
Sadly, African Swine Fever has no treatment and can wipe out an entire pig farm. No vaccines have been developed but several bio-security measures can be practised.
