December 7, 2011

African Swine Fever outbreaks continue in Russia

Three new African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks were reported in Volgograd, Tver and Saratov regions of Russia over the past week.

According to representatives of Rosselkhoznadzor, six dead wild boars were found in the Volgograd region.

There was an outbreak recorded in "Leschevsky" located on the territory of Leninsky, Svetloyarskom and Sredneahtubinskom municipal districts. The diagnosis of African swine fever has been confirmed.

ASF was also revealed in the Volgograd Regional Veterinary Laboratory in pathological material, sampled from two dead wild boars from the island Sarpa of the Kirov district of Volgograd.

To stop the disease from spreading, preventive measures are carried out in Lenin, Svetloyarskom and Sredneahtubinskom municipal districts of the Volgograd Region. Quarantine on the island Sarpa was also introduced, according to Rosselkhoznadzor.

A similar outbreak among wild boars has been recorded in the Tver region. Seven dead boars were found in Holoholenskogo rural settlement, two miles west from the village Natives - where about 10,000 pigs are located.

In the Penal Colony number five of Volsky District, Saratov region, another outbreak of ASF was discovered. Following the discovery, management of correctional institutions veterinary services performed special sanitary-epidemiological measures. Animal corpses were burned and buried, and the rest of the livestock - about 151 animals - were eliminated.

Representatives of Rosselkhoznadzor last week issued a special declaration, which states that the most susceptible animals should be contained "in private farms and in the households of uniformed services."