Last Modified: April 09, 2025

People can’t get African swine fever (ASF), but they can play a huge part in how the virus spreads. That's because it can live for a long time on clothing, shoes, and equipment. It can also spread through garbage feeding, vehicles, contaminated feed or water, infected domestic or wild pigs, and insects.  

Learn more about the ways ASF can spread.

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Direct transmission happens when healthy pigs have contact with infected domestic or wild swine or come in contact with bodily fluids, such as infected saliva, urine, feces, semen, or aerosolized respiratory secretions by coughing or sneezing. 

Indirect transmission happens when healthy pigs eat virus-contaminated feed or pork products or come into contact with the virus on clothing, shoes, equipment, vehicles, or food waste. 

Insect-borne transmission happens when soft ticks feed on infected pigs and spread the virus to healthy swine. Other insects like stable flies, leeches, and swine lice may also spread it.