News African Swine Fever
Again ASF infections outside German core zones
African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread within and beyond the original core zones in East Germany. In the Oder-Spree district, even a fence created for ASF control was probably destroyed by boars. Governments continue to look for new measures and partnerships to deal with the outbreak.
Last week, 3 piglets infected with ASF were found outside the original core area in the Oder-Spree district, the Märkische Oderzeitung reports. It is suspected that these escaped from the core zone in January due to damage to the perimeter fence. This damage was discovered in January and was immediately repaired. The damage to the fencing is believed to have been caused by boars themselves and not by humans.
No expansion core area
However, the area designated as core area will not be modified for the time being. The found cadavers are said to be located in an area that is already completely fenced with several fences. As a result, the other animals in this group do not pose a risk of further spread. The site is protected with electric fences and within the existing fence, hunters are currently intensively searching for the other animals in the group, in order to eliminate them as soon as possible.
Elsewhere in the province of Brandenburg, in Kliestow, a new core area was added after 6 boars infected with ASF were found. The municipality in which the town is located announced this on Monday (March 22).
Last week, new carcasses of wild boars were also found in Sachsen, further south, near Gorlitz on the border with Poland. Tests have yet to provide a definitive answer as to whether it actually concerns ASF. According to official reports, 67 cases of ASF have been confirmed so far in Saxony and 784 in Brandenburg. The German pig herd is still free of the virus to this day.
More intensive cooperation in combating
In a joint statement by the German, Polish and Czech authorities, the concerned (state) ministers reiterated the importance of a joint approach. Especially now that research by the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut has shown that the virus type found in affected boars in Germany and Poland match. Furthermore, the authorities agreed to join forces even more in the search for cadavers and in the construction and maintenance of fencing.
The need for even more intensive cooperation is also illustrated by the fact that the Polish veterinary authorities recently announced that as many as 52 new cases were diagnosed in the first week of March and 86 cases again last week through Thursday. Recently, an infection has also been detected on a large pig farm in Poland† It is the first infection in the Polish pig population this year.
The Czech Republic also continues to take measures. It was recently announced that at least 1100 wild boars have been shot by hunters since mid-November to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Steve Wissink
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