Spain confirms the first case of African Swine Fever

The official veterinary services of the Government of Catalonia notified the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food about the detection of two wild boars positive for the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus in Bellaterra (Barcelona), where they were found dead on November 26. These positive results, confirmed by the Central Veterinary Laboratory of Algete (Madrid), represent the first detection of the disease in Spain since November 1994. The official veterinary services were notified of the discovery of two wild boar carcasses approximately 1 km apart, near the campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. The operational manual for combating African Swine Fever (ASF) was activated. This includes the delimitation of the infected area, the active search and official control of the removal of wild boar carcasses, the prohibition of hunting in the area to avoid the movement of wild boars to disease-free zones, the restriction of non-essential activities, the reinforcement of ...