Confirmed outbreaks
After a period of 22 months without new cases, the African swine fever (ASF) has unfortunately reappeared in our territory. Some outbreaks have recently been confirmed thanks to the continuous surveillance and monitoring work carried out without interruption by the veterinary services. African swine fever is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic and wild pigs, with serious health and economic consequences. It is important to specify that the disease is not transmissible to humans and does not represent a danger to public health in terms of direct contagion, but its spread among suidae has a significant impact on the agricultural sector and the environment.
The presence of new cases
The constant monitoring of the territory, which has never failed even in periods of apparent absence of the virus, has allowed the timely identification of the presence of new cases. This has made it possible to immediately activate the containment and control measures required by national and European legislation. The competent authorities have already identified the areas where specific veterinary public health measures will be adopted, including:
the delimitation of an infected area with a relative surveillance perimeter,
strengthening control activities on domestic pigs,
the intensification of the active search for carcasses of infected wild boars
ASL2, in collaboration with the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute, the Regional Veterinary Service, the Regional Wildlife Surveillance and local authorities, is committed to collecting all the epidemiological data useful for understanding the real extent of the contagion. The precise definition of the affected area is essential to contain the spread of the disease and protect the areas still free.
Invitation to citizens
We are also in constant contact with the Liguria Region and with the National Commissioner Structure and the Ministry of Health, in order to jointly define the most effective strategies for the containment of the disease, the harmonization of interventions on the territory and the coordination of available technical and operational resources. We renew the invitation to all citizens, in particular those who live or frequent rural and wooded areas, to promptly report the presence of wild boar carcasses to the competent veterinary services or to 112. We remind you that the unauthorized removal or burial of wild boar carcasses is a criminal offense, as it hinders health operations and can contribute to the spread of the disease.
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