November 27, 2019

Latvia reports two-third drop in African swine fever cases

The country's Food and Veterinary Service said 357 wild boars tested positive for African swine fever (ASF) between January to October this year, lower than the 961 cases reported in the same period in 2018, reported Xinhua News.

The veterinary authority said ASF cases have dwindled as the wild boar population in Latvia has decreased, following the culling of ASF-infected swine and the country's active hunting measure.

Martins Serzants, Latvia Food and Veterinary Service senior expert said wild boars are the source of ASF in the country, so reducing its numbers is key to eradicating the disease which has no vaccine.

He added that the hunting of wild boars and halting of the increase in wild boar numbers theoretically eliminates ASF and potentially avoids a second ASF epidemic from hitting the country in the future.

Among domestic swine livestock in Latvia, only one ASF case has been reported in 2019, down from the ten cases reported in the entire 2018.

-      Xinhua News