They’re calling the latest industrial-meat disease that could jump the gap to humans African Swine Flu, but it’s looking like an especially big problem in China.
No reason to cut down on industrial-meat consumption though, right? Gotta have that (damaging in so many ways) pig flesh!
While African swine fever can live on for weeks or months in uncooked and frozen pork, it is not harmful to humans, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health.
But that could change. Russia’s chief epidemiologist believes the virus could potentially mutate further, given the similarity between pig and human physiology.
Meanwhile, the UK’s National Health Service website states that: “Many global outbreaks of infectious illnesses (pandemics) that have occurred in recent history are thought to have been caused by viruses previously only found in animals. After mutating, the viruses became capable of infecting humans.”