Initially, officials believed the virus entered the environment through contaminated meat products that might have been discarded in the forest by humans. However, the Ministry launched a new line of investigation after analysing the genetic sequence of the detected virus. It turned out that the strain found in Catalonia does not match those currently circulating in EU member states; instead, it resembles the Georgia 2007 variant — a reference strain widely used in laboratory experiments and vaccine development. According to the Ministry, this does not rule out the possibility of a leak from a high-biosafety research facility.
Catalonia’s regional president, Salvador Illa, announced that he has ordered an audit of five research institutions within a 20 km radius of the outbreak that work with the ASF virus. He stressed that authorities are not excluding any scenario and aim to determine the exact source of the outbreak.
All confirmed infections so far have been found within a 6 km radius of the initial focus. Another 37 wild boar carcasses discovered in the area have tested negative. Inspectors have examined 39 pig farms within the 20 km control zone, and all remain free of the virus. More than 100 members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), Catalan wildlife rangers, the Guardia Civil and local police have been deployed to contain the outbreak. The area is patrolled, vehicles are disinfected, and carcass searches are supported by drones and thermal imaging.
A team from the European Commission’s Emergency Veterinary Team has also arrived in Catalonia to evaluate the implemented measures and provide recommendations for further containment.
African swine fever poses no threat to humans but is lethal to pigs. In recent years, global outbreaks have caused significant economic losses. For Spain — the EU’s largest pork producer and the third largest in the world — any risk of further spread threatens to disrupt multibillion-euro trade flows.
PigUA.info based on The Guardian