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ASF education efforts continue
Swine veterinarians around the U.S. have been busy this winter educating pork producers about African Swine Fever (ASF).
Iowa State University Swine Extension Veterinarian Dr. Chris Rademacher says one of challenges is that many of ASF’s symptoms resemble other familiar pig diseases.
“Early on it’s going to look, unfortunately, like some of the other stuff that we see today with PRRS and circovirus and salmonella and erysipelas,” Rademacher says. “Early on it can look like and mirror some of those diseases.”
Another problem, Rademacher says, is there are no vaccines or other treatments for ASF.
“It’s a disease that causes high morbidity—lots of sick pigs and high mortality—with absolutely no treatment or vaccine in sight,” he says.
ASF continues to spread across China.It’s estimated the disease has killed more than one million pigs there. But some analysts say that’s much too conservative, that losses are running in the millions.
Dennis Morrice, KLEM, Le Mars, Iowa contributed to this story.
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