Афричка куга свиња - актуелна епизоотиолошка ситуација на борском и зајечарском округу

Abstract

African swine fever (ASF) is a viral, systemic, haemorrhagic disease of domestic and feral pigs. There is neither specific therapy nor immunoprophylaxis for this swine disease. During 2019, the disease was registered in over 30 countries on three continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe) and for the first time it was registered in central Serbia in domestic pigs. Wild boars play a significant role in maintaining and spreading the ASF epizootic in Europe, but the role of humans and socioeconomic factors is far more important. The first cases of the disease in wild pigs in the hunting grounds of the Bor district were recorded at the beginning of 2020, and throughout 2020, as in 2021, there was a spread and appearance of the disease in wild pigs in a number of hunting grounds in the Bor and Zajecar districts. After the appearance of feral pigs, the disease was also observed in domestic pigs in smaller farms with a low level of biosecurity measures. Risks and factors that influenced the occurrence of diseases in feral pigs in our field are: Constant deterioration of the epizootiological situation in Romania and Bulgaria, natural migratory routes of wild boars and the land border with Bulgaria which significantly increases the possibility of uncontrolled migration of feral pigs, large wild boar population (unbroken through forests that are an ideal habitat for wild boar). Outbreaks in domestic pigs have contributed to the extremely low level of application of biosecurity measures on small farms where domestic pigs are raised, open or semi-open way of breeding as well as large daily migration of the population from Romania and Bulgaria to Serbia and vice versa. From the beginning of 2020 to March 2021, the disease was diagnosed in wild boars in a total of four municipalities in the Bor district, in 33 wild pigs, in 9 hunting grounds, and in the Zajecar district in two municipalities, 17 cases of the disease were confirmed in 6 hunting grounds. In the same period, the disease appeared in domestic pigs in one household of Zajecar municipality and one inhabited place, three households of Negotin municipality. In cooperation with the Republic Veterinary Inspection, the epizootiological service of VSI Zajecar performed epizootiological investigations in all cases of suspicion in the field of domestic and wild pigs. After autopsies and sampling of appropriate material, laboratory diagnostics was performed in NIVS Belgrade and VSI Nis. The Regional Crisis Center, in cooperation with the Veterinary Administration, implemented all measures in the infected and endangered area of ASF in domestic pigs. In relation to the established outbreaks of disease, the following is defined: infected zone, high-risk zone (intensive hunting area), as well as high-risk zone with increased shooting. In these areas, all measures were implemented according to the Decisions of the Veterinary Administration.