An outbreak of African swine fever on a farm in Indonesia has been confirmed by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) on Tuesday, 9 May.
Read on to know more about African swine fever and how it spreads.
By The Numbers: The outbreak has so far killed 35,297 out of the 2,85,034 pigs on a farm in Indonesia's Bulan island, near Singapore.
The outbreak was confirmed by Indonesian authorities on 28 April.
African Swine Fever is Not Swine Flu: Although in pigs the symptoms can be similar, ASF and swine flu are two different infections caused by two different viruses.
It must be noted that unlike swine flu, African Swine Fever is not dangerous to humans but is fatal for pigs.
The Big Picture: This isn't the first time African swine fever (ASF) is being reported in the world. In fact, countries like Dominican Republic, Haiti, and China have grappled with sporadic waves of the fever for years.
These waves have killed millions of pigs and impacted meat and livestock production.
ASF has also been reported in India in the past, but there have been no reports of this particular outbreak impacting livestock in India yet.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, anyone who works with pigs should look out for these signs of ASF:
High fever
Decreased appetite
Fatigue and weakness
Red, blotchy skin, or skin lesions
Diarrhoea and vomiting
Coughing and difficulty breathing
What Caused the Outbreak? The cause of the outbreak in Indonesia is still unknown.
According to veterinarian authorities, although humans don't get sick with AFS, they can be carriers. Flies, contaminated feed, and transportation vehicles may also carry ASF to farms and livestock.
(Written with inputs from Reuters.)
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