March 15, 2023

Germany confirms eighth outbreak of African swine fever

Germany has confirmed its eight outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) this year on a farm in Brandenburg state, the European Food Agency reported.

Apart from the five cases in Brandenburg, ASF was also detected on a farm in the German states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Lower Saxony and on a backyard farm in Baden-Wurttemberg. One week prior to the latest ASF outbreak, the first cases of the swine disease were reported in the Cottbus city district, but those cases involved wild boars.

There were three outbreaks of ASF among domestic pigs in Brandenburg in July 2021, followed by another outbreak on a farm 12 months later. The outbreaks were reported in three different districts of the state.

In the past 10 days, six European countries have reported new cases of ASF in wild boars to the World Organisation for Animal Health. These countries are Poland with 134 cases, Italy with 65, Hungary with 54, North Macedonia with 15, Romania with 8, and Latvia with 1 case.

2,212 ASF cases have been reported in Europe this year, with 16 countries reporting one or more outbreaks since January 1, 2023. Among the countries with the highest number of cases are Poland, which has reported 747 outbreaks, followed by Germany with 408, Italy with 195, Slovakia with 175, Hungary with 159, and Romania with 147.

-      European Food Agency