New outbreaks detected in South Africa, Europe
Ghana has become the third African country — after South Africa and Zimbabwe — to report cases of African swine fever (ASF) this year.
The disease has been reported in two districts of the Western Region — the twin cities of Sekondi-Takoradi, and the nearby municipality of Effia Kwasimintism — according to Ghana Business News. Details of the outbreaks have not yet been released. The region borders Ivory Coast.
A senior regional veterinary official said the disease could take a long time to be eradicated, and urged pig farmers to contact their local veterinary office for more information on the disease, and how to control it.
In South Africa, three new outbreaks of ASF have been reported, bringing the country’s total outbreaks since April of this year to 16, and the loss of animals to more than 3,000.
Latest cases were among two village herds in Mpumalanga, and a “backyard” herd of 800 pigs in the city of Mogale in Gauteng province, according to the official report from the agriculture department to the World Organisation for Animal Health OIE).
ASF spread continues in central, eastern Europe
Up to September 9, there have been 1,470 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 (1,310 outbreaks), followed by Poland (45), Bulgaria and Ukraine (each with 35), the Republic of Serbia (17), and Lithuania (15). Other European states with confirmed outbreaks are Italy, Latvia and Slovakia.
Over the past two weeks, Romania’s animal health agency has reported 493 ASF outbreaks to the OIE. Some of the cases date back to June, while others were confirmed as recently as the third week of August. The reports also include cases in 390 wild boar.
Total losses of domestic pigs included in these latest reports exceed 13,000, mostly from small backyard herds, but also from five premises described as “farms.” Affected pig herds were located in the south (bordering Bulgaria), northeast and northwest of the country (bordering Hungary, Moldova and Ukraine), and the first outbreak has been confirmed in the central county of Hunedoara.
ASF has been confirmed at a 45th farm in Poland, according to the latest report from the agriculture ministry to the OIE. There were 7 cases among the 10 animals at a small farm in the province of Warmia-Masuria in the east of the country.
Two farms in the eastern region of Sumen have been confirmed with ASF, according to the latest reports from Hungary’s animal health agency to the OIE. The outbreaks led to the loss of more than 160 pigs from mortality or culling.
Having recorded its first cases of ASF in late July, Slovakia’s total number of outbreaks in domestic pigs has risen to 11. All cases so far have been in backyard herds, with 40 animals lost to the disease during the second half of August.
The Republic of Serbia reported its first outbreak of ASF at the end of July, and the latest outbreak in a backyard herd brings the total so far to 17. With one exception — which occurred In the neighboring district of Podunavlje — all the outbreaks have occurred in the Mladenovac municipality in the district of Belgrade.
There have been two new outbreaks of ASF among backyard herds in the Republic of Moldova, both in the southern district of Cahul, which borders both Romania and Ukraine.
Further cases among backyard herds in Russia, Ukraine
As ASF spreads in the Far Eastern federal district of Russia, recent outbreaks in the country’s western regions have generally been in small backyard herds. Over the past two weeks, Russia’s agriculture ministry has reported two new outbreaks among the non-commercial pork sector, both in Volgograd oblast, which is in the Southern federal district.
There have been three new outbreaks of ASF in Ukrainian backyard pig herds — one in the southern oblast of Mykolaiv, and two in Kirovohrad, which is in the center of the country.
ASF in European wild boar: six states report new outbreaks
As well as from Romania, OIE has received confirmation from other countries about ASF cases in wild boar, including Hungary (65 animals), Latvia (11), Bulgaria (8), Slovakia (6), Russia (3) and Moldova (1).
This year, there have been 4,290 confirmed outbreaks of ASF among European wild boar up to September 9, according to the EC. Poland has reported the most outbreaks (1,662), followed by Hungary (948), Belgium (479), Romania (460), Lithuania (351), and Latvia (230). 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.
