No African swine fever epidemic, government agency assures

ASFV is contagious to animals in the pig family, and its host is warthogs while soft ticks are vectors. This virus is not contagious to people but it can have an economic impact, the department’s director-general, Opas Karnkawinpong, said.
ASFV is difficult to handle because presently there is no vaccine to prevent pigs from being infected by the virus. Moreover, the virus is very durable and can contaminate products produced from pork, he added.
Nearly all the infected pigs get sick and die. 
Numerous countries have increased their strictness as well as measures to control and anticipate an ASFV epidemic.
In Thailand, a meeting of pathogens and animal toxins committee had urged Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to issue an announcement to increase the strictness level in monitoring ASFV.
The minister signed the order on October 31, and it came into effect on December 19.
ASFV has been determined to be a virus in the third pathogen group, according to pathogens and animal toxins act, instead of the second group as before. “Every time one wants to purchase, sell, possess, import, or export ASFV, they have to ask for permission,” the director-general added.
The announcement specified that any operation related to ASFV is allowed only in the Department of Livestock Development’s labs, Opas said.