African swine fever in wild boars in Sweden
The African swine fever virus was detected today in a sample from a dead wild boar found just southeast of Fagersta, in Västmanland county, 145 km northwest of Stockholm in Sweden. African swine fever is a serious viral disease that affects wild boar and pigs, but does not affect humans or other animal species. It is not yet known exactly how the infection arrived in Sweden.
Since 25 August, seven wild boars have been found dead in a limited area of the Fagersta region. Samples from another wild boar are on their way to the VAS. The relevant authorities are now working intensively to locate, contain and control the infection. Further information will be provided on an ongoing basis.
The contingency plan that we had for a long time is now being implemented. We also take note of the experiences of other countries that have found themselves in a similar situation,” says Lena Hellqvist Björnerot of the Swedish Agriculture Council.
Mapping in progress
One of the first steps will be for the competent authorities to determine, in collaboration with hunters’ organisations, the extent of the area concerned. This is done by searching for dead wild boars in combination with knowledge of the home range of wild boars. Within the area concerned, all access will initially be prohibited. This means, for example, that you can’t be in the area to pick berries and mushrooms, hunt, work in forestry, or do other outdoor activities. The infection does not affect humans or other animal species, but it can be spread via pork or by carrying the virus on shoes, tools and vehicles.
“At the moment we don’t know how the infection was introduced, but it is a long-distance jump from the nearest infected area in Europe and so we assume that it was introduced by human activity and not by wild boar. There is currently a wide spread of the infection in Europe. There are countries that have managed to eradicate the disease and that is our national goal,” says Karl Ståhl of SVA. »
Members of the public and hunters throughout Sweden, but particularly in the area in question and in Västmanland, are now encouraged to report findings of dead wild boar to the SVA via www.rapporteravilt.sva.se.
Pig owners are encouraged to review their biosecurity and contact a veterinarian if there are signs of disease or increased mortality.
Facts:
African swine fever is a contagious viral disease that affects wild boars and European pigs and presents with severe clinical illness including fever, bleeding, loss of coordination (ataxia), lack of appetite, and death usually occurs within a week.
The disease does not affect humans.
The disease has been present in Europe since 2007 and in the EU since 2014.
Since its introduction in the EU, the disease has spread continuously in the wild boar population at a rate of about 1-2 km per month and in addition, several jumps in the spread of the disease have taken place where the disease has suddenly appeared far away (several hundred kilometers) from previously infected wild boar populations or in pig herds. The disease is now present in wild boar and domestic pigs in several countries in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. For more on this, see the latest VAS situation report Epidemiological Situation Report: African Swine Fever, 23 August 2023 ( sva.se) Infected pigs and wild boars have the virus in all parts of the body with the highest levels of virus in their blood. Infection can be spread through direct contact between infected and healthy pigs and indirectly through contaminated materials, people, vehicles and feed. In raw and frozen meat, viruses can survive for a long time (months).
Within the EU, there are regulations on how to manage the disease in domestic pigs and wild boars. For example, it is forbidden to feed domestic pigs or wild boars with uncooked food waste or animal protein.