As has already happened for the ASL of Nuoro, the veterinarians of the Health Authority of Sassari have also held meetings in these days with the hunting companies that tomorrow, Sunday 6 November, will be engaged in wild boar hunting.
The purpose of these meetings is to inform hunters on the spread of animal diseases that could infect especially wild boars, in particular lectospirosis, swine fever, both in the classical form and in the so-called African form; previous monitoring had found positive animals hunted or found dead.
The meetings, which began on November 2nd, saw the participation of twelve veterinarians of the Animal Health Service of the ASL of Sassari who have contacted the road teams of wild boar hunting, informing hunters about diseases and at the same time training them on the monitoring activity.
The same vets they will carry out the necessary inspections on the culled animals from which they will collect approxsamples of serum for the detection of any traces of the swine fever virus, as well as a sample of the diaphragm for the detection of trichina.
This type of controls is part of the health surveillance and monitoring plan for tuberculosis in wildlife in Sardinia in relation to the hunting seasons 2010 - 2011 and 2011 - 2012, provided for by the regional health and hygiene department.
In fact, even during the last hunting season, with collaboration of the hunters, 346 were subjected to clinical examinations boars shot down of which 15 presented lesions compatible with tuberculosis. The infected animals had been hunted in the ASL areas of Bono-Bonorva and Benettutti-Orune; in the same areas the presence of the disease in wild animals had already been found in previous seasons.
The director of the Prevention Department and the Animal Health Service, Francesco Sgarangella, commented the question, “The high positivity found in wild boars towards leptospirosis, a disease potentially transmissible to humans through the handling of the carcass, is of concern”.
Sgangarella then continues with some recommendations to hunters, “For this we invite all hunters to pay particular attention in the sectioning phase of the hunted animal and to use disposable gloves. Hunters will have to be very careful in handling the carcass, especially the animal's urinary tract, which must not be dissected during the slaughter phase. It is also advisable to consume well-cooked meat ".