Second Case of African Swine Fever Confirmed in Wild Boar in East Germany

A second case of African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed in a wild boar in the Uckermark region in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, Reuters reports.

This case was discovered in a wild boar north of the other areas of Brandenburg where ASF has been found in large numbers of wild boar, just a few kilometers from the Polish border. Reuters reports the animal was found on the western side of the anti-wild boar fence along the Polish border.

Reuters reports a total of 1,670 ASF cases in wild boar have been confirmed in Brandenburg since the first was discovered in September 2020, the state health ministry said. An additional 456 ASF cases have been found in wild boar in the state of Saxony further south but only three cases on farms, which were all small farms.

In September 2020, China and a series of other pork buyers banned imports of German pork after Germany's first ASF case. Last week, German officials said they were optimistic the disease was being confined in the eastern states of Brandenburg and Saxony along the Polish border.

The challenge remains that wild boars wander into Germany from Poland and spread this very contagious, fatal disease among pigs. ASF is not harmful to humans and poses no health or food safety concerns. 

Germany's efforts to fight ASF include building fences along the Polish border to prevent wild boar entering Germany, intensified hunting of wild boar and strict hygiene measures on farms, the article said.

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