Abstract
In January 2014 the first case of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar of the Baltic States was reported from Lithuania. It has been the first occurrence of the disease in Eastern EU member states. Since then, the disease spread further affecting not only the Baltic States and Poland but also south-eastern Europe, the Czech Republic and Belgium. The spreading pattern of ASF with its long-distance spread of several hundreds of kilometers on the one hand and the endemic situation in wild boar on the other is far from being understood. By analyzing data of ASF cases in wild boar along with implemented control measures in Lithuania from 2014–2018 this study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the disease. In brief, despite huge efforts to eradicate ASF, the disease is now endemic in the Lithuanian wild boar population. About 86% of Lithuanian’s territory is affected and over 3225 ASF cases in wild boar have been notified since 2014. The ASF epidemic led to a considerable decline in wild boar hunting bags. Intensified hunting might have reduced the wild boar population but this effect cannot be differentiated from the population decline caused by the disease itself. However, for ASF detection sampling of wild boar found dead supported by financial incentives turned out to be one of the most effective tools.
Highlights
The current African swine fever (ASF) epidemic in Europe and Asia is caused by a highly virulent strain belonging to genotype II
In 2017, the overall amount of samples of found dead wild boar was more than three times higher than in 2016
At the same time the number of ASF positive wild boar found dead increased more than 5 times
Summary
The current African swine fever (ASF) epidemic in Europe and Asia is caused by a highly virulent strain belonging to genotype II. ASF was introduced into Georgia in 2007 from where the disease spread throughout the Caucasus and the Russian Federation (RF), reaching Ukraine in 2012 and Belarus in. In January 2014, ASF arrived in the eastern part of the European Union (EU) when infected. 2020, 7, 15 wild boars were detected in Lithuania. Later during the same year, the disease was reported from
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