ASF does not affect humans but only wild and domestic pigs: the importance of prevention, also to avoid huge economic losses. Single regional number for supervision and timely reporting. Regional support for the pig sector
November 10, 2023 – Yesterday, November 9, a case of African swine fever (PSA) in a wild boar found dead by a hunter, in the municipality of Brassin the province of Piacenza, and reported to the veterinary service of Local Health Authority of Piacenza. Following the phone call, a veterinarian immediately went to the indicated location and, via a mountain road, laboriously recovered the carcass to have it examined in the Piacenza section of theExperimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.
ASF is a disease that does not affect humans but only wild and domestic pigs, with serious repercussions on animal health. In Italy, as in several other countries, the infection spreads mainly among feral pigs, which maintain the infection in the environment making its eradication difficult. The strong risk of passage from wild to domestic animals represents the reason why, when cases appear in wild animals, measures are taken to limit the movement of animals and products, with consequent possible huge economic losses.
Ottone’s it is the first confirmed case in Emilia-Romagna, after those recorded in recent months in various neighboring regions and in other parts of the country. However, in some territories of the region, including the municipality of Ottone itself and the neighboring municipalities, extraordinary measures for surveillance, prevention and control of the disease were already in force with restrictions on hunting activity, regulation of outdoor activities and restrictions on movement of the pigs raised, also depending on the biosafety level of the farms. Measures established with an ordinance of the president of the regional council (number 142/2023), following cases that had been confirmed in wild boars found dead near the regional borders, in particular in Piedmont and Liguria, where the disease has spread widely to starting from January 2022.
One is scheduled for Monday 13 November meeting of the regional crisis unit and the Territorial Operational Group (GOT) to decide whether further measures are needed to stop the spread of the disease.
Furthermore, it is not yet known whether following Ottone’s case the European Commission will deem it necessary to update the list of municipalities that must be included in the restricted zones reported in the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2421.
Support for the pig sector
In light of the current epidemiological situation, it is even more important that farms raise the level of biosecurity to the maximum, i.e. the set of structural and management measures that allow the risk of introduction and spread of diseases on the farms themselves to be reduced to a minimum. For this purpose, the Region had already foreseen e allocated resources in recent months and will continue its commitment to supporting the investments that companies intend to make through tenders aimed at increasing biosecurity on farms and consultancy and training of sector operators.
Strategic prevention, single regional number for immediate reporting
To be able to check PSA it is necessary identify all cases early, both within the areas where the virus is circulating, to be able to remove the carcasses that are sources of the virus for healthy animals, but above all in the areas not yet affected by the cases, to identify the territories in which it is necessary to promptly apply control measures necessary. For this reason, ordinance 142/2023 of the president of the regional council provides that anyone who sees a wild boar carcass, wherever it is, is required to inform the veterinary service of the Local Health Authority competent for the territory which will intervene promptly to carry out the sampling of samples necessary to exclude or confirm infection in the carcass. To facilitate this prevention activity, the Region has established a single regional number 0516092124 which forwards the call to the local health authority responsible for the area affected by the report. The collaboration of all citizens is fundamental in preventing the spread of ASF.