A historical and current perspective is given of classical swine fever and
its impact on pig production in different regions of the world. Data were o
btained from a variety of sources including returns to the Office Internati
onal des Epizooties, official government reports, other published material
and local information through personal contacts. The disease has been recog
nized for about 170 years and efforts to control it by official interventio
n began in the nineteenth century. Despite this it remains a lingering prob
lem in many parts of the world where it has both, an economic impact on swi
ne production and a constraining effect on trade due to the measures necess
ary to prevent spread. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.