African Swine Fever (ASF) is a devastating infectious disease of pigs, usually deadly. No vaccine exists to combat this virus. It does not affect humans nor does it affect other animal species other than pigs and wild boars. It can be transmitted either via direct animal contact or via dissemination of contaminated food (e.g. sausages or uncooked meat).

Humans are one of the biggest threats to spreading of ASF and the disease can linger on for a very long time in the affected material (like sausage, offal, etc.). Hunters are usually the first to detect ASF within the local wild boar population and as such is very important for detecting, monitoring and managing ASF.

The Pigs Health Association, MSD Animal Health, Agrofeed Kft., the Hungarian Pig Breeder Association and the Agricultural Chamber in cooperation with the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest organized the African Swine Fever Management Conference.

During this meeting, the participants presented their experiences and strategic approaches with the aim of solving this significant problem.

“Veterinarians are being trained to combat the spread of African Swine Fever, which is a great threat to animal health and a big challenge for the economy.” – Said Prof. Dr. Péter Sótonyi, rector of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest.

Attention was drawn to the need for adoption of biosecurity measures by pig farmers, which constitutes a major aspect to preventing the spread of ASF.