AFRICAN SWINE FEVER: AN OVERVIEW OF THE EPIZOOTIC SITUATION, CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PATHOGEN AND THE DISEASE IT CAUSES

African swine fever (ASF) is a viral hemorrhagic disease with extremely high mortality among domestic pigs and wild boars. According to OIE data for the last 5 years, the disease has spread over a vast area. The number of countries and territories affected by ASF has increased in recent years, with notifications received from sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Asia, and the territory of the Russian Federation. The main factors that increase the risk of disease spread are livestock management systems with inappropriate biosafety measures and human behavior. Many countries struggle to effectively implement livestock disease control measures due to deficiencies in veterinary services. In many cases, this is due to a lack of long-term investment, inappropriate consideration of the perspectives of different stakeholders, and policies based on inadequate crisis management strategies that do not effectively implement, coordinate and sustain the necessary interventions and resources. The impossibility and inability to adapt to different epizootic situations increases the importance of scientific research, methodological developments that will help to better control ASF or open new approaches to solving problems in long-standing enzootic foci. This article focuses on current knowledge and advances in ASF virology, clinical manifestations of infection with modern strains, epidemiology, diagnosis and control.

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