There is no evidence that humans could contract the disease from pork products or even through direct contact with pigs as it is not zoonotic.
Thrissur district in Kerala has been reported with a highly contagious swine disease called ‘African Swine Fever’ which is perilous indeed. This disease was confirmed in the pig herd owned by Kuttalapuzha Babu of Veliyanthara in the 14th ward of the district.
According to the reports, the Thrissur district collector has urged the animal husbandry authorities to cull the infected 310 pigs and bury them at the earliest. The officials have alarmed the compatriots to take precautionary measures to further avert the sprawl of the disease to other areas.
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Since African Fever is a viral and contagious disease it will result in affecting domestic and wild pigs across the district but does not spread to humans but is a threat to pigs. The fever may sprawl out from one to pig another in the spur of a moment through direct contact.
It will also occur through contaminated feed which leads to symptoms like high fever, loss of appetite and bleeding which is reflected in the mass mortality rate in pigs drift. The possibility of transmitting this to humans is of least, and will not spread to other species or animals as well.
There is no evidence that humans could contract the disease from pork products or even through direct contact with pigs as it is not zoonotic. However, using contaminated clothing and equipment used by the infected pig can spread the disease to other pigs via humans.
In May 2020, it appeared in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh which led to the mass annihilation of swine. The lack of vaccines for ASF challenges the lives of pigs as it marks a deadly disease spread to approximately 24 states in the country.
