source: https://ab.co/339veJU (ABC)
In most commentary about the current African Swine Flu outbreaks in 50 countries, we tend to hear is this kind of thing:
- it has been reported in around 50 countries;
- it has a high (80% to100%) mortality rate in pigs but does not affect humans;
- there is currently no vaccine;
- it’s expected that 25% of the world’s pigs will be wiped out by the end of 2019;
- it’s currently several hundred km from Australian shores in Timor Leste;
- pork prices are increasing;
- farmers would be compensated if they had to kill all their pigs in the event of an outbreak.
From ABC News:
African swine fever is spread when pigs come into contact with contaminated pigs, pork products, feed, ticks, and infected material such as syringes.
The disease can be found in pork products even if they’ve been cooked or frozen.
It can also be transmitted via humans wearing contaminated clothing and boots into an area where uninfected pigs are kept, resulting in infection.
and
“There’s no vaccine, there’s no cure, if my farm was to get it, all my pigs would be destroyed”
What’s interesting is what is we don’t hear much about.
We don’t hear much talk about the likelihood of the disease mutating in pig populations such that it crosses over into our species. Perhaps swift pig population destruction is a reason not to worry about mutation. Perhaps the virus genome is just too stable. But is it wise to be complacent?
Such is our hubris.
We also don’t hear much about the tragedy of the pigs who are “culled” or “destroyed”.
That’s a sign of our speciesism.
Why do we want so badly to know whether there is life elsewhere in the Universe when we treat so much (human and non-human) life on Earth with such disdain?