New swine fever outbreaks recorded in two Ukraine's regions

Ukraine's State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service says veterinary experts have reported new African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in Ukraine's Donetsk and Chernihiv regions.

In particular, two ASF cases were registered in the said regions from September 27 to October 3, according to the agency's press service.

Read alsoUkraine's Vinnytsia region sees new swine fever outbreak

Lab tests conducted by experts confirmed the animals there had been infected.

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

As UNIAN reported earlier, 60 ASF cases were reported in Ukraine in the seven months of 2018.

In total, 163 ASF outbreaks were registered in Ukraine in 2017.

According to the forecast by the State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service published in January 2017, 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.