REUTERS
Veterinary experts have reported new cases of African swine fever (ASF) in Ukraine, namely in Odesa, Poltava, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, and Rivne regions, according to the State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service's press office.
Lab tests have confirmed pigs from farms located in Zakharivka (Odesa region), Velyka Oleksandrivka (Poltava region), Akymove and Tyshky (Poltava region), Baksheyivka (Kharkiv region), and Diadkovychy (Rivne region) were infected, the regulator said.
However, the State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service does not specify the number of infected animals.
In addition, the infection of a wild boar was reported in the village of Rybne in Ivano-Frankivsk region. The animal is owned by a specialized forestry and hunting farm, Chorny Lis, where animals are kept in open-air cages. Notably, this was the first ASF case reported in Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Read alsoAnother swine fever outbreak recorded in Chernihiv regionMeasures to contain and prevent the spread of the ASF pathogen are underway.
As UNIAN reported earlier, 40 ASF cases have been reported in Ukraine since the beginning of 2017 against 91 in 2016. Given the current dynamics of the disease spread, the State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service forecasts that the total number of outbreaks in 2017 may grow to 100-110 cases.
According to the head of the State Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service, Volodymyr Lapa, pig breeding losses due to the virus spread have amounted to about UAH 200 million since the first ASF outbreak was reported in Ukraine. If the current trend of the ASF spread continues, Ukraine will lose over 1.2 million pigs, or UAH 4 billion by 2020, while indirect losses will increase by 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.