African swine fever confirmed in second German state
African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed in a second German state, Saxony, in the district of Görlitz, close to the Polish border.
By November 1, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute had confirmed 123 cases, all in wild boar. Domestic pig herds in Germany are still free of ASF.
Until this weekend, all cases had been confirmed in Brandenburg, mainly within two core areas. But the virus has now been confirmed in a wild boar killed while hunting in the neighbouring state of Saxony, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BMEL) announced on Saturday.
The site is located near the Polish border in Upper Lusatia, Görlitz district. According to press reports, the animal was shot in the course of a hunt and showed no symptoms of the disease. But routine screened for ASF by the FLI now confirmed the virus.
Measures are now being implemented in the affected region, including new protection zones. The BMEL said it was in close contact with the Saxon State Ministry for Social Affairs and Social Cohesion (SMS).
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