African swine fever: what is it, how is it transmitted, and how does it affect us?

BarcelonaThe detection of positive cases of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar in Catalonia has set off alarm bells. An outbreak hadn't been detected in Spain since 1994, and many questions are arising about the scope of the problem. What is this disease and how does it manifest? Is it contagious to humans? What are the health and economic consequences? We review the key points to understand this crisis. It has even mobilized the European Union.

What is African swine fever (ASF)?

It is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic pigs, wild boars, and other types of wild pigs, such as the African warthog. It has a mortality rate approaching 100%, and infected animals can die within 2 to 10 days. Symptoms range from fever to hemorrhaging in organs and skin, respiratory distress, and vomiting. The severity of the disease varies depending on the virulence of the virus, and there is no effective treatment or vaccine to control it.

Does it pose a risk to humans?

No. The disease poses no risk to humans through contact with or consumption of infected pigs. It also does not affect other animals. However, people can transmit the disease if they have been in contact with infected animals or infected sites.

How is it transmitted?

African swine fever (ASF) can be transmitted through direct contact with other infected wild boars (especially through blood, saliva, feces, urine, etc.) or by consuming meat from infected animals. One hypothesis regarding the outbreak detected in Collserola, in fact, is that a wild boar ate some type of contaminated sausage. It can also be transmitted by people who have been in contact with the infection, through contact with contaminated objects, during livestock transport, and via ticks.

How does this affect the Catalan economy?

The detection of cases has led to the suspension of all pork exports from Spain outside the European Union (EU). In Catalonia, of the €16 billion in agri-food exports, €3 billion are pork products, of which €1 billion are exported outside the EU. The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for negotiating with each non-EU country the lifting or regionalization of the export suspension to minimize the impact of the crisis.

What restrictions have been applied?

The Catalan government has restricted access to the natural area where the infected wild boars were found. For now, this area has a 6-kilometer radius around the Collserola Park – which is also inaccessible. It comprises a total of 12 municipalitiesIn a second perimeter with a 20-kilometer radius—affecting 64 municipalities—outdoor activities have been restricted.

What happens if the restrictions are not respected?

Citizens who violate the restrictions face fines. More than 300 officers from the Catalan police and forestry forces have already been deployed to the operation to monitor and control the outbreak, joined by some eighty members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME).

What can citizens do?

The government has appealed to citizens' sense of responsibility in the face of the crisis and has issued a series of recommendations. These include intensifying the cleaning of litter bins and containers, placing cat feeders in elevated locations, and calling 112 if a dead wild boar is found, and above all, not handling it.