African swine fever (ASF) has returned to Greece and the Czech Republic and appeared for the first time in North Macedonia, according to the latest report on the epidemiological situation of ASF in the European Union published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). ASF also continues to spread in non-EU countries such as Serbia and Moldova, while the prevalence of the disease has decreased in Romania, Poland and Bulgaria.
“Over the last decade, African swine fever has had a dramatic impact on the European pig farming sector and continues to undermine local and regional economies. Recent data show encouraging signs, suggesting that efforts to halt the spread of the virus may be yielding results. However, the situation in Europe as a whole is still far from positive, and we need to maintain a high level of vigilance. Farmers, hunters and veterinarians play a particularly important role in reporting suspected cases,” emphasises EFSA Executive Director Bernhard Url (Bernhard Url).
ASF is a dangerous infectious disease with a highly resilient virus. Unlike classical swine fever, the antibodies formed do not provide immunity to animals and do not protect them from reinfection. Researchers are currently actively working on the vaccine development process. Latvia, in cooperation with 12 other countries, is participating in the VACDIVA project “Vaccine against African swine fever”, which is funded by the European Union’s HORIZON 2020 programme. Latvia is represented in the vaccine development process by researchers from the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR”. 13 prototypes of the ASF virus have been developed for the vaccine, including 11 based on an ASF virus strain isolated in Latvia.
Director of the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR” Aivars Bērziņš: “Studies to date have shown very good results regarding vaccine efficacy in both wild boar and domestic pigs. The developed tests are performing well, but validation still needs to be carried out. If the results are positive, the new vaccine could become a solution for combating African swine fever both in Europe and in other affected countries.”
Given the spread of ASF across Europe, EFSA will continue to run a Europe-wide information campaign to fight ASF in 2023. The #StopASF information campaign will be implemented for the fourth year in eighteen European countries. Its goal is to increase the awareness of farmers, hunters and veterinarians about this highly contagious disease and encourage them to take active measures to stop the spread of ASF.
The campaign’s information materials call on pig farmers, veterinarians and hunters to “detect, prevent and report” cases of ASF among domestic pigs and wild boar. The campaign is implemented in cooperation with local authorities in eighteen countries, and in Latvia it is led by the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR”.
This year, African swine fever has been detected in a total of 209 wild boar across 62 parishes in 22 municipalities in Latvia.
About African swine fever
African swine fever is a deadly viral disease affecting domestic pigs and wild boar. The virus is harmless to humans but causes significant socio-economic challenges in many countries. There are currently no approved vaccines for ASF in Europe, so in the event of an outbreak, it may be necessary to cull a large number of farmed pigs in the affected area. The ASF virus is extremely resilient, and unlike classical swine fever, the antibodies formed do not provide immunity to animals and do not protect them from reinfection. This makes the vaccine development process for ASF slow and complex.