African swine fever was reported on a pig farm in Kanichar in Kannur, Kerala, on Friday. Following this, local health authorities ordered the culling of pigs on the farm and declared a one-kilometer radius around the farm to be an infected area. Further, the area up to a distance of 10 kilometers from the farm is being monitored as the disease surveillance zone.
Authorities from the district animal husbandry department told Happiest Health that the infection was reported only on one farm. “The results came in on August 18 and the culling was done the next day as per the District Collector’s orders,” authorities said. They added, “Since African swine fever has no known treatment or vaccination, culling the pigs is the only option to control the spread.”
Dr C Latha, director of academics and research, Kerala, Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), says “As per the standard operating procedure for handling African swine fever, pork meat from the infected area should not be sold or consumed. Since it is a highly contagious disease, the directive states culling all the pigs on the infected farm, followed by proper carcass disposal.”
What is African swine fever?
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, African swine fever is a fatal viral disease affecting pigs that has ‘severe impacts on food security, livelihoods, national and international markets’. Clinical signs in pigs include lack of appetite, weakness and sudden death.
The difference between African swine fever and swine flu
Dr Netto George, assistant professor (infectious diseases), Government Medical College, Kottayam, Kerala, says that the outbreak of African swine fever is not a public health concern since the disease affects pigs and wild boars only. Further, the authorities explain that although African swine fever is a highly contagious and fatal disease for pigs, it cannot spread from them to humans and is unrelated to H1N1 influenza, also commonly known as swine flu. “African swine fever is a different disease,” says Dr George. “It is a DNA virus and cannot easily mutate and spread to humans from pigs. Swine flu or the H1N1 virus, meanwhile, rarely spreads from pigs to humans since virus mutations keep happening. Swine flu can spread from human to human as well.”
While pigs infected with African swine fever need to be culled and disposed of safely, Dr Latha says that in the case of swine flu, pork meat can be safely consumed if it is handled and cooked properly. “In Kerala, pork is usually cooked very well — this was an advantage during the past swine flu outbreaks in the state,” she highlights.
What is swine flu?
Dr Neha Mishra, consultant, infectious diseases, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru, says that swine flu is a subtype of influenza A virus. She explains that there are four types of influenza viruses — A, B, C and D. “Of these, influenza A and B are responsible for most seasonal flu epidemics. Influenza A H1N1 and H3N2 are most commonly seen. The former is commonly referred to as swine flu,” she adds.
Dr George explains, “The infection is called swine flu because originally, the virus came to humans from mutations from pigs. Due to its origin, it was initially called swine flu. Now that it has spread to humans, we refer to it as the H1N1 virus.”
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when influenza viruses normally seen in pigs are detected in people, such as H1N1v and H3N2v, they are called ‘variant’ flu viruses.
How does swine flu affect humans?
Dr Mishra says that while those affected usually show mild symptoms of the flu, some people are at risk for a more severe form of the infection. This includes young children, older adults, pregnant women and people who are immunocompromised, such as those with long-term diabetes, chronic liver disease, chronic kidney disease, or people undergoing chemotherapy.
Common symptoms include fever, cough and cold, sore throat, tiredness, headaches and body pain. “Otherwise, swine flu is usually a self-limiting disease,” says Dr Mishra. “Mostly, it affects the upper respiratory tract. In rare instances, it can lead to lower respiratory tract infections in those with underlying comorbid conditions.”
Dr George shares that symptoms of swine flu are very mild in the general population. “Some might just have a little bit of nasal discharge and a sore throat,” he explains. He adds that while it can progress to a more severe form, it is rare.
Can humans get the flu from pigs?
Dr Mishra explains that when it comes to swine flu, the infection can spread from animals to humans and vice versa through respiratory secretions, similar to how seasonal flu spreads. The CDC says that the infection could spread by touching surfaces that have infected droplets on them and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Talking about the human-to-human spread of the H1N1 virus, Dr George says “If you are talking face-to-face with an infected person, the germs can directly get into your nose and mouth.”
Takeaways
An outbreak of African swine fever has been reported in Kannur, Kerala. However, authorities say it is not a public health concern. This is because the disease, though highly contagious and fatal for pigs, does not spread from them to humans.
