When it comes to African swine fever, it is indeed a headache for farmers. If pigs are infected with this disease, the mortality rate is generally 100%, and there is still no vaccine available. Pork is an indispensable part of the dining table, so will the African swine fever epidemic harm humans?

African swine fever does not harm humans, just like mutual infection, and is not a zoonotic infectious disease between humans and animals. In other words, this virus does not infect humans and belongs to a typical swine-to-swine transmission virus. Therefore, African swine fever does not harm humans. The African swine fever virus can survive in low-temperature blood for about 6 years, and in normal indoor temperatures for about a few weeks, but this virus does not have heat resistance. The virus in the blood of infected pigs will lose its specificity when heated to 6 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or heated to 55 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. This means that the normal boiling and frying of pork can destroy the specificity of the virus and will not affect the public’s consumption, so it is safe to eat pork.

The African swine fever virus is sensitive to high temperatures and can be destroyed at 70°C for 30 minutes. Burial of diseased pigs involves a microbial fermentation and heat generation process, especially when lime is mixed with water, which also generates a lot of heat. Various measures can ensure the complete destruction of the African swine fever virus.

The African swine fever virus does not infect raw pork, so it can be safely consumed.

Regarding the public’s concern about whether it can infect humans, the person in charge has also responded, indicating that African swine fever is not a zoonotic disease. Pigs are the only natural host of the African swine fever virus, and other animals, except domestic pigs and wild boars, are not susceptible to the virus. Although it poses a fatal risk to pigs, it does not harm humans, belonging to a typical swine-to-swine transmission virus.

So, can we eat pork safely in the face of African swine fever? The person in charge said that African swine fever does not infect humans and does not have an immediate impact on health and food safety. From the current state of scientific research, it is unlikely to occur in the situation of genetic variation infecting humans.

In response to African swine fever, all veterinary units have adopted strict measures. Once an outbreak of pneumonia is detected, they will immediately cull all live pigs in the epidemic area and carry out decontamination, strictly prohibiting the release of all live pigs and commercial products from the restricted area. Therefore, the pork and products purchased from official platforms are all tested and certified, so the public does not need to worry.