A VIRAL post on social media has been warning people not to go to Port Dickson because of the cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) there.
It further insinuates that the disease is transmissible to humans.
Is this true?
Verdict:
FALSE
ASF is not a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted to humans, said the Negri Sembilan Veterinary Department.
According to a statement on its Facebook page, the department said ASF was a deadly blood-borne disease that only affected domestic and wild pigs.
The statement added that the notification letter being forwarded along with the post was a correspondence issued by the department to the public and industry players that there were occurrences of ASF in Port Dickson.
This was one of the measures taken by the department to increase awareness of the disease in the hopes of curbing its spread in the state.
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), ASF was a highly contagious viral disease with a 100% mortality rate that only affected pigs.
The WOAH also confirmed that the disease was not a danger to human health but that it had a devastating effect on pig populations and the farming economy due to its mortality rate and the fact that there was no effective vaccine against it.
The virus is highly resistant in the environment, meaning that it can survive on clothes, boots and other materials.
Therefore, human behaviour can play an important role in spreading this disease across borders if adequate measures are not taken.
References:
1. https://www.woah.org/en/disease/african-swine-fever/
