Skip to main content
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA FAQ's and resources about coronavirus (COVID-19).  LEARN MORE

African Swine Fever (ASF)


African swine fever is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease affecting both domestic and feral swine of all ages. ASF is not a threat to human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans. It is not a food safety issue.

ASF is found in countries around the world.  More recently, it has spread to the Dominican Republic and Haiti.  ASF has also spread through China, Mongolia and Vietnam, as well as within parts of the European Union. It has never been found in the United States – and we want to keep it that way.

USDA's African swine fever program, Protect Our Pigs, provides the tools and resources you need to make sure that you are doing everything possible to keep swine healthy and reduce the risk of spreading ASF.

New Information Available for African Swine Fever

Swine Hemorrhagic Fever Surveillance Evaluation Brief

USDA Submits Dossier to the World Organisation for Animal Health to Finalize African Swine Fever Protection Zone

El USDA emite una orden federal como parte del establecimiento de una zona de protección contra las enfermedades animales extranjeras en Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes de los Estados Unidos para protegerse de la peste porcina africana

USDA Statement on Confirmation of African Swine Fever in Haiti

USDA Continuing African Swine Fever Prevention Efforts – Preparing to Establish Foreign Animal Disease Protection Zone to Safeguard Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Entire U.S. Swine Industry

USDA Announces Requirements for Importing Dogs from Countries Affected with African Swine Fever

USDA Statement on Confirmation of African Swine Fever in the Dominican Republic

International Trade and Zoning

Joint Statement from the Chief Veterinary Officers of Canada and the United States

African Swine Fever Surveillance in the United States
APHIS is furthering its overall African swine fever (ASF) preparedness efforts with the implementation of a surveillance plan.  To make this program as effective and efficient as possible, USDA will add ASF testing to our existing classical swine fever (CSF) surveillance. 

The plan, titled Swine Hemorrhagic Fevers: African and Classical Swine Fever Integrated Surveillance Plan, is available in the “Technical Documents” section below.

African Swine Fever Assessments

APHIS has developed three new resources related to African swine fever:

  • A qualitative assessment of the likelihood of African swine fever virus entry to the United States.
  • A non-animal origin feed ingredient risk evaluation framework.
  • A literature review of non-animal origin feed ingredients and the transmission of viral pathogens of swine.

  These documents are available in the 'Technical Documents' section below.

Why is African Swine Fever a Concern?

ASF is a devastating, deadly disease that would have a significant impact on U.S. livestock producers, their communities and the economy if it were found here. There is no treatment or vaccine available for this disease. The only way to stop this disease is to depopulate all affected or exposed swine herds.

USDA is working closely with other federal and state agencies, the swine industry, and producers to take the necessary actions to protect our nation’s pigs and keep this disease out. This group is also actively preparing to respond if ASF were ever detected in the U.S. 

What Producers and Veterinarians Need to Know

Anyone who works with pigs should be familiar with the signs of ASF:

  • High fever
  • Decreased appetite and weakness
  • Red, blotchy skin or skin lesions
  • Diarrhea and vomiting
  • Coughing and difficulty breathing

Immediately report animals with any of these signs to state or federal animal health officials or call USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593 for appropriate testing and investigation. Timeliness is essential to preventing the spread of ASF.

On-farm biosecurity is crucial to preventing any animal disease from developing and spreading. All pig owners and anyone involved with pig operations should know and follow strict biosecurity practices to help protect U.S. pigs from ASF. Work with your veterinarian to assess your biosecurity plans and make improvements as needed.

What Travelers Need to Know

International travelers could unknowingly bring back this disease from an ASF-affected country, especially if they visit farms. Visit the APHIS traveler page to know which items you can bring back into the United States. Some food items may carry disease and threaten domestic agriculture and livestock. If you go to an ASF-affected country, do not bring back pork or pork products.

Declare any international farm visits to U.S. Customs and Border Protection when you return. Make sure you thoroughly clean and disinfect, or dispose of, any clothing or shoes that you wore around pigs, before returning to the U.S. Do not visit a farm, premises with pigs, livestock market, sale barn, zoo, circus, pet store with pot-bellied pigs, or any other animal facility with pigs for at least 5 days after you return. 

Resources

We have many resources available to help spread the word about how to prevent ASF.

English

Spanish

French

Portuguese

Hmong

Traditional Chinese

Haitian Creole

Complementary Content
${loading}