Eastern Europe and Zimbabwe report new ASF outbreaks

New outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) have been reported in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia and Zimbabwe.
While Poland has had no new cases of ASF since August 2015, outbreaks have been reported in other EU member states over the last month.
The Veterinary and Food Board in Tallinn has reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) a total of 93 outbreaks of the disease in Estonia since mid-September. All but one of the outbreaks were in wild boar, affecting 111 animals in total, all of which were found dead. In one farm outbreak in Vöru in the south-east of the country in September, two domestic pigs died and the remaining 102 were destroyed.
Latvia has been regularly reporting new ASF findings in wild boar in the north and east of the country, with 81 new cases reported over the last month. All of the cases – 90 in total - were in areas already known to be infected with ASF.
There have been 13 outbreaks in Lithuania, according to the national veterinary authority, affecting 14 wild boar in the north and east of the country and a single domestic pig in Vilnius county.
Moving beyond the European Union, Ukraine has recently reported its first cases of ASF in domestic swine: 4 village pigs died at 2 locations in Burynsky in the second week of October. Like all the previous outbreaks, these cases are in Sumi oblast, which is in the north of the country and borders Russia.
In September, the federal veterinary service in Russia reported 2 new outbreaks of ASF to the OIE, both in the west of the country. The disease led to the death or destruction of all 29 animals in a village herd in Vladimir oblast and 6 wild boar in a herd of around 100 animals in Ryazan oblast.

ASF outbreaks continue in Zimbabwe

A new report to the OIE details one outbreak in late August in a group of 203 free-ranging village pigs in Mashonaland Central, with 185 animals showing signs of the disease, which was later confirmed. All 7 previously reported outbreaks since July of 2015 have been in the Dande valley area of the province, which is in the north-east of the country and borders Mozambique. The infected area has been placed under quarantine and movement of pigs and pig products out of the area is prohibited, while awareness campaigns are on-going for local people.

Classical swine fever returns to Russia

In the last month, Russia has reported 2 outbreaks of classical swine fever (CSF) in domestic pigs in Primorsky krai in the south-east of the country. The first was in a backyard herd of 5 animals, and this was followed by more cases in 24 village pigs at a different location in the same region.
Latvia continues to report on CSF to the OIE but no cases have been seen there since March of 2015. Vaccination has been taking place since 2013.