The number of ASF outbreaks in Russia increased to 132

From the beginning of 2021 to August 6, 132 unfavorable points for African swine fever (ASF) were registered in Russia: 53 - in the wild fauna, 79 - among domestic pigs. This was reported in the information and analytical center of the veterinary supervision department of the Federal Center for Animal HEALTH of the ROSSELKHOZNADZOR (FGBU "ARRIAH"). Text: Julia Makeeva

Scientists noted the greatest number of outbreaks in personal subsidiary farms (LPS). Thus, out of 17 outbreaks of ASF, which RUSSIA reported to the OIE on August 6, 11 were recorded in small pig farms in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, Samara, Volgograd, Kostroma, Amur and Novgorod regions. Another six outbreaks were identified among wild boars.

According to experts, personal subsidiary plots contribute to the spread of the ASF virus, as they neglect the rules of biosecurity. “The spread of ASF is also facilitated by the owners of personal subsidiary plots, who are negligent about biosafety rules and sometimes feed food waste that is not thermally processed to pigs, or illegally buy waste in kindergartens, schools and restaurants,” the adviser to the HEAD noted in an interview with Veterinary and Life. Rosselkhoznadzor Nikita Lebedev. In his opinion, it is necessary to toughen the punishment for such violations. 

Small pig farms with a low zoosanitary status should be transferred to animal husbandry alternatives to pig farming, Konstantin Savenkov, Deputy Head of the Rosselkhoznadzor, made this proposal earlier.

As Yury Kovalev, General DIRECTOR of the National Union of Pig Breeders, noted in an interview with ViZh, another way to fight is to reduce the number of domestic pigs in household plots. If in the 2000s in Russia about 70% of the total number of pigs in the country were kept in subsidiary farms, now it is less than 10%. 

Reference "ViZH"

African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease, leading, as a rule, in 100% of cases to the death of domestic and wild pigs. Treatment of the disease is not provided, the vaccine has not yet been developed. Wild boars are a natural reservoir of ASF. The infection causes fever, vomiting, bloody diarrhea in pigs and wild boars. The ASF virus does not pose a danger to humans, although scientists do not exclude that it can mutate.