African swine fever is an infectious disease, causing high mortality of pigs, and is notifiable to the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE). The etiological agent is African swine fever virus, with a main characteristic of high mortality, and it has an incubation period varying from four to 19 days. Jiancong Yao at PIC shows how the main routes of disease transmission are through direct contact between susceptible and sick animals or their fluids or excretions, and why the identification of potential sources of the virus is extremely important, considering its phenomenal survivability.