African swine fever is one of the major animal health challenges worldwide, as demonstrated by recent developments in China and the European Union, where recent outbreaks have prompted health officials to take action.

The disease first entered Europe through Georgia, back in 2007, in an unprecedented epidemic that would gradually spread from Africa throughout the Caucasus, the Russian Federation, Eastern and Central Europe, and more recently Western Europe (Belgium) and China.

The absence of an effective control strategy stems in part from the absence of a vaccine or treatment, but mostly from the difficulty of controlling the disease’s spread through pigs in low biosecurity systems – such as small commercial farms or backyards where families keep pigs at home, mostly for personal consumption and extra income.