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The first case of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boars has been confirmed in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. A dead male wild boar pig weighing 20 kg found during a hunting session was found to be positive.
With the discovery, wild boars are now infected with ASF in all 3 German federal states bordering on Poland. The federal states of Brandenburg and Saxony had also been infected beforehand. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania made headlines last week because this wild boar infection was preceded by an infected pig farm in which just over 4,000 pigs had to be killed.
The virus was found in a young wild boar. The infected piglet in the picture was found in the Czech Republic a few years ago. – Photo: Petr Satran, Czech State Veterinary Administration
ASF in wild boars in an unusual place
And just like the farm in this state, the boar fall occurred in a somewhat unusual location, as it occurred in an area far from being in any other known breakout location. The carcass was found in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district in a forest in the Ruhmer mountains. It’s the westernmost marker on the map below.
As for the route of infection, the first impression is that “human” is written on it. The find is 150 km as the crow flies from the nearest other wild boar discovery sites in the state of Brandenburg, all fairly close to the border with Poland. The distance to the infected company is also 60 km. Since the find was relatively close to the Autobahn 24 between Berlin and Hamburg, it looks like a classic case of the “infected pork bun” thrown out the window. All over Germany there are signs at every rest area warning of ASF and urging motorists to carefully dispose of their rubbish.
As early as 2015, warning signs were to be found on the motorways in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, urging motorists to carefully dispose of waste. – Photo: Vincent ter Beek
Perhaps what worries most about this find is its proximity to the pig-dense state of Lower Saxony, only 45 km.
Difficult day after ARSP confirmation
The infection was confirmed by the German reference laboratory Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) and also reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). State Minister Dr. Till Backhaus of a “difficult dayâ€: “Now exactly what we wanted to prevent has happened. Now it is important that we work through the case thoroughly with all authorities involved. The authorities in Brandenburg are already involved, as the restricted zones to be set up extend into the neighboring federal state. ”
The hunters who found the piglet sent samples of all of their hunted animals for control. The area has been closely monitored for ASF since 2018. In the Ludwigslust-Parchim district alone, 128 wild boar carcasses were sampled that year, mostly from animals that had been shot or killed in traffic; 1,503 pigs have also been tested so far.
Individual ASF case or not?
Dr. Backhaus: “The main question here is whether the identified individual case will persist or whether it is a major event.” This will be followed by increased surveillance with the use of drones and search dogs.
Wild boar infections in Germany
With the discovery in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the number of wild boar cases in Germany has exceeded 2,800. Based on the data collected so far, October 2021 was the worst month yet, with 344 infected wild boars reported to the OIE. The previous record was for July 2021 with 309 cases. The full numbers for November are pending.
In the last 5 complete months (June-October) the total number of ASF cases in wild boars in Germany has exceeded that in western Poland. On the Polish side, this can be explained by the seasonal nature of the virus, with high numbers of victims in winter and lower numbers in summer. In Germany, however, the seasonality of the outbreaks is not reflected in the number of reports, as there was an upward trend in the summer.
ASF virus approaches the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic may also have to worry that the virus will soon enter the country. The ASF virus has been found relatively strongly in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland in recent months and the virus is bound there in the south. In October 2021, a record of 72 infected wild boars was found in this province, the numbers have never been higher there. The closest fall to the Czech border was only 18 km away.
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