New swine fever case discovered in nature reserve of Moldova

Chisinau, 21 January /MOLDPRES/ - The National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) today informed about a hotbed of African swine fever virus (ASFV), registered in the Nature Reserve Pădurea Domnească  (Royal Forest) on the observation period 10-15 January 2020.

According to ANSA, on the concerned period, 35 dead wild boars were registered in the Royal Forest – a nature reserve placed along the Prut river in west of the Glodeni and Falesti districts. The samples collected showed positive results in ASFV.  

Sources from the Moldsilva forestry agency have told MOLDPRES that ‘’the boars can represent a means of spread of the disease, given that the animals cover large distances, easily coming from zones hit.’’ Specialists of Moldova’s forestry entities, especially the ones regarded by ANSA, took the situation under control and work in a special regime of epidemiological record.

ANSA worked out a comprehensive programme of measures aiming at counteracting the disease. According to an order issued by the Agency, the carriage of pigs and goods coming from them is planned to be temporarily restricted from the states hit by the swine fever and the sale of pigs at agricultural markets and animal markets from Moldova is scheduled to be banned.

The problem of the African swine fever virus returned again to the attention of Moldova’s authorities, after three households with pigs hit by this disease had been identified in the Palanca village, south-eastern Stefan Voda district, in October 2017. Subsequently, new ASFV hotbeds were recorded in more settlements from various Moldova’s regions.

The African swine fever virus is a dangerous disease, without treatment or vaccine at present, which hit the domestic and wild species of pigs. The ASFV is transmitted by direct contact between animals or indirectly, by feeding animals with slops containing meat or secondary products coming from infected animals, insects fed from infected animals or even through contaminated tools, clothes, fodder. The ASFV survives during 3-6 months in pork products which are not thermally treated and more years in frozen pork. The death rate of the infected animals is 100 per cent.