Ten new cases have been recorded this month alone, but there is also some positive news — the geographical spread of the disease has not expanded. All infected animals were found within already defined infected areas. A few weeks ago, local authorities began installing protective fences to prevent the migration of infected wild boars. Judging by the current situation, this strategy is working.
The district of Olpe has been hit hardest, with 49 dead wild boars found in the areas around the towns of Kirchhundem and Lennestadt. Another eight cases have been recorded in the neighbouring district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, near the town of Bad Berleburg. For comparison, 36 infected animals were found in July and 11 in June.
Origin of the virus
Genetic analysis has shown that the pathogen is most similar to the ASF strain previously recorded in Calabria, southern Italy. This indicates that there is no direct link to the current outbreaks in the Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim areas, located approximately 100 km to the south.
ASF does not pose a threat to humans, but it is fatal to pigs and wild boars, causing significant economic damage to livestock and hunting industries.
PigUA.info based on materials from pigprogress.net