Poland the only country to report ASF in commercial pig herd in past week
African swine fever (ASF) was officially reported in domestic pigs in just three European countries over the past week — Poland, Romania and Russia. Wild boar were found to be infected with the virus in six states.
The only country recording ASF in a commercial pig herd over the past week was Poland.
According to the Warsaw agriculture ministry’s official report to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the affected premises was in Warmia-Masuria, an eastern province where previous cases have been confirmed. Of the 32 pigs on the farm, 27 showed clinical signs of the disease, and five died, leaving 28 to be culled. This outbreak brought Poland’s total number of farms affected by ASF so far this year to 46.
There were a total of 35 new outbreaks of ASF in the south, east and northwest of Romania, according to the national veterinary agency’s latest reports to the OIE. All were in backyard units, and affected 619 pigs. Just over 70 died, and the rest have been destroyed.
Russia’s agriculture ministry has reported just one new ASF outbreak to the OIE. This involved 73 pigs belonging to a backyard pig herd in Volgograd oblast, which is part of the country’s Southern Federal District.
Up to October 6, there have been 1,640 confirmed outbreaks of ASF among domestic pigs in Europe so far in 2019, according to the European Commission (EC). From this source, by far worst affected has been Romania (1,471 outbreaks). Poland has 46, Bulgaria 38, Ukraine 37, the Republic of Serbia 18, Lithuania 17, Slovakia 11, and Italy and Latvia, each with one outbreak. EC figures do not include cases in Russia.
More ASF cases in wild boar near Hungarian capital
Although local media reported that “several hundred” wild boar were found to be infected with the ASF virus last week, the agriculture ministry informed the OIE of just 28 of the animals so far found in two forest areas near Budapest. The disease was also detected in a further 53 wild boar in other parts of the country.
Five other European countries recorded ASF in wild boar to the OIE in recent days. These were Poland (50 animals), Romania (39), Latvia (12), Slovakia (2) and Bulgaria (1). The Polish count covers the period from June 28 to July 16.
This year, there have been 4,653 confirmed outbreaks of ASF among European wild boar up to October 6, according to the EC. Poland has reported the most outbreaks (1,761), followed by Hungary (1,109), Romania (499), Belgium (479), Lithuania (373) and Latvia (251). Other European states reporting outbreaks in wild boar during 2019 are Bulgaria, Estonia, Italy, Slovakia and Ukraine.
View our continuing coverage of the African swine fever outbreak.
