Russia: ASF outbreaks continue

//14 Mar 2012
There has been a new outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) at a private farm in Kalachevsky district, Volgograd region, according to a representative of the regional department of veterinary medicine.
"On farms in the Golubinskaya village deaths of four pigs occurred on 11 March. The selected material from the dead animals has been sent for study. Specialists from the Volgograd region veterinary laboratory diagnosed it as African Swine Fever , a spokesman said of regional department of Rosselhoznadzor.

At a private farm, where dead animals have been found, there were kept 12 pigs. Laboratory materials for a diagnosis have been sent to the All-Russian Research Institute of Veterinary Virology and Microbiology in the city of Pokrov in the Vladimir region.

He said the last time African Swine Fever was detected in domestic pigs in the region was in 2010. Throughout 2011 and early 2012 in the region ASF was diagnosed only in wild boars.
According to local farmers ASF is spreading in the wild – even though the hunters have permission to kill the boars, they often do not do it, due to the lack of ASF awareness. The hunters think of ASF as a dangerous human disease. As a result, hunters do not shoot wild boar, for fear of contracting the disease.

Currently in the Kalachevskyi district veterinary services are taking steps to prevent the possible spread of the disease. 680 heads of pigs are in quarantine currently.

(By Vladislav Vorotnikov)