WHAT IS CLASSICAL SWINE FEVER?

Classical swine fever (CSF) is a highly contagious viral disease of swine (pigs and wild boar) which can spread via trade in live pigs, fresh pig meat and certain meat-based products. CSF is not dangerous for people but they can transmit the virus with footwear, clothing, agricultural, and hunting equipment.

VACCINE can be used for CSF control!

If disease enters into your herd, it will kill pigs. The disease can cause severe economic consequences for farmers and the entire country’s economy. In areas where the disease is endemic, vaccination can prevent the spread of CSF. Preventive vaccination of pigs cannot be used in CSF free countries.

WAYS OF TRANSMISSION

The most important ways of transmission are:
• direct contact between animals (secretions, excretions, semen, blood).
• indirect contact through vehicles, clothes, instruments, needles, insufficiently cooked waste food fed to pigs; it can also be spread by pig traders and farm visitors.
• transplacental infection leading to persistently infected offspring can also occur.

WHAT ARE THE CLINICAL SIGNS OF THE DISEASE?

HOW TO YOU PROTECT YOUR ANIMALS?

Acute form (more virulent virus strains and/or younger pigs):

• Fever (41˚C), weakness, loss of appetite.

• Redness or blue-violet discoloration and bleeding of the skin in the area of the ears, abdomen and legs.

• Discharge from the nose and eyes, (may be bloody).

• Dyspnoea, coughing

• Paresis and convulsions

• Vomiting (occasional).

• Pigs usually die within 5-25 days of the onset of clinical signs.

Chronic form (less virulent virus strains or partially immune herds)

• weakness, loss of appetite, diarrhoea for up to 1 month

• Poor growth

• Poor reproductive performance may be the only sign in some breeding herds infected with less virulent strains

• Apparent recovery with eventual relapse and death within about 3 months

Genital form (outcome depends on virulence of virus strain and stage of gestation)

• Abortion or fetal death, stillbirth

• Congenital tremor, weakness

• Poor growth over a period of weeks or months leading to death

• Piglets born clinically normal but persistently viraemic shedders of virus until dying in 6–12 months

Mild form can also be observed (usually in older animals)

Compliance with veterinary legislation and improved biosecurity measures, animal identification and registration, movement control and are the most reliable way to prevent the introduction of the CSF virus into pig farm.

• Buy pigs only from registered sources, accompanied with proper health certificate.

• Do not feed your pigs with kitchen waste. It is forbidden! It can pose a high risk of introducing disease to your farm and is an important way of spreading the disease! Never do it!

• Keep pigs in a way to avoid contact with wild boars or other animals. Domestic pigs must not be kept free, outside the fenced area.

• Clean and disinfect farm and equipment regularly.

• Use separate footwear and clothes for your farm. Do not use them outside your farm!

• Establish disinfection barrier at the entrances of your stable (simple footbaths with sponges soaked in a suitable disinfectant).

• Keep visitors away from your farm.

• Do not use water from open sources for pigs.

• Freshly collected grass and vegetables may be contaminated with virus from the wild boars.

• Follow other rules given by veterinary authorities.

• If you are hunter, pay special attention: avoid any direct or indirect contact of your pigs with hunted wild boar carcass.