Ukraine's Vinnytsia region sees new swine fever outbreak

Veterinary experts have reported a new case of African swine fever (ASF) in Ukraine, this time recorded in Vinnytsia region.

As reported, a wild boar was shot in the hunting grounds of THFG Dashivske in Vinnytsa region's Illintsi district, the State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service's press office said.

Lab tests by the State Research Institute of Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary and Sanitary Expertise (Kyiv) confirmed that the animal had been infected.

It is noted that measures are being taken to contain and prevent the spread of the ASF pathogen.

Read alsoSwine fever outbreaks registered in three regions simultaneouslyAs UNIAN reported earlier, 18 ASF cases were reported in Ukraine in January 2018. In total, 326 ASF outbreaks have been registered in Ukraine since 2012, including 163 cases in 2017 alone.

Head of the State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service Volodymyr Lapa said earlier that, if the current trend of the ASF spread continued, Ukraine would lose over 1.2 million pigs worth a total of UAH 4 billion by 2020, while indirect losses would increase by an estimated UAH 5-7.5 billion.

UNIAN memo. African swine fever (Montgomery disease) is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs. The disease bears no threat to humans. The virus is transmitted by direct contact between sick and healthy animals, through pork products, and also transmitted by ticks and mechanically (by vehicles during transportation of people and animals). There are no vaccines against the virus. Almost all infected pigs die. The virus is destroyed by heating to extremely high temperatures.