The XII International Symposium on Wild Boar and Other Suids in was recently held Czech Republic. Two important events that dealt with and analyzed the problem of the diffusion of African swine fever in Europe. Even the Ministry of Health in recent days has issued a circular addressed to the Regions, the supervisory bodies and the Hunting Associations to raise awareness and inform all those affected by the problem. The role of hunters, but also of wildlife technicians and all those who deal with wildlife management can be decisive both in terms of monitoring and timely reporting of suspected cases in the wild boar species, and to spread the necessary knowledge of the main behavioral rules in the presence of any areas affected by the virus.
La Confederation of Tuscan Hunters intends to ensure maximum availability for collaboration on any initiative deemed useful by the bodies responsible for the control and prevention of ASF. In addition to this, thanks to the contribution of experts from the scientific world in close collaboration with the CCT, we considered it useful to prepare a summary of the news related to the spread of African Swine Fever emerged from the two conferences: the virus is endemic in African suidae such as the warthog and the potamocero. If transmitted to wild boars and pigs (Sus scrofa) this virus has a very high lethality e animals die in a few days. The current ASF epidemic originated in the Caucasus, specifically Georgia, from where it spread to Russia. Further outbreaks quickly appeared in western Russia from where it passed into Ukraine and Belarus. From these countries the ASF passed to Romania, Bulgaria, the Baltic countries and Poland. Finally, an outbreak developed in the Czech Republic and another in Hungary.
These days the ASF has passed through Western Europe and an outbreak has been recorded in southern Belgium. The danger of ASF does not concern humans but threatens pig farms. In the event that a country is not free from the disease, exports of animals and food are blocked with economic consequences that can be very serious. For example, the current outbreak in Belgium threatens German and French farms and causes great concern at EU level. There are various ways of transmission, both natural and caused by human action. The virus can be transmitted through wild boar populations. The main way is through contact and cannibalism between wild boars and carcasses. When an infected animal dies it can be cannibalized by conspecifics, but a simple contact between animal and carcass or between wild boar and infected soil is enough. The ASF virus is in fact extremely persistent in the environment, even many months, and contact is therefore much easier. There are also secondary mechanisms of natural transmission. There are numerous birds and mammals that feed on carrion such as foxes, crows, crows or buzzards.
At present the disease cannot be eradicated. The wild boar populations are greatly reduced and the disease becomes endemic in the population, thanks also to the fact that the virus can survive in the soil for months and weeks and therefore be transmitted to new generations. The measures taken by the Czech Republic to attempt eradication were demonstrated during the symposium: blocking the infected area with electrified fences, research and safe removal of carcasses, killing as many animals as possible in the infected area using properly trained police sharpshooters. All animals found dead or killed are then incinerated. The method was partially successful. The epidemic remained limited even though there were cases outside the fenced area.
One problem that has been highlighted is that the soil on which the carcass lies is disinfected but not removed. The removal team is made up of specialized personnel who try to eliminate any possibility of contamination. In such a situation it is necessary that those who search for carcasses do not approach the animal. One of the novelties was the presentation of a vaccine for the eradication of ASF which appears to work but has currently only been tested in laboratory conditions. It would be very useful to organize a network of detectors (hunters, farmers, wildlife technicians, naturalists ex-provincial police, forest police, etc.) who report the presence of wild boar carcasses that could be sampled.