Minister Jung: So far no further swine fever detection

Diseases - Minister Jung: So far no further swine fever detection

After the first detection of African Swine Fever in a wild boar in Hessen, Land Agriculture Minister Ingmar Jung prioritizes the search for more carcasses and containment of the spread. "The carcass searches have been running since Saturday with the help of many voluntary helpers using drones," said the CDU politician in the Landtag in Wiesbaden on Tuesday. "We have not found any further positive cases yet."

To prevent the spread of the disease as much as possible, measures have been taken in the affected communities, including a leash requirement for dogs and a hunting ban. This is intended to prevent wild boars from being disturbed. Strict regulations apply to agriculture and especially pig farmers.

"We don't know yet if the virus has spread further," said Jung. "We don't even know for sure if we are in the center of the outbreak area." However, there is still a possibility, "that we may have caught the first case ...," he added. A fence is currently being installed near the discovery site, according to Jung, and the work should be completed by Wednesday.

A dead and infected wild boar was discovered a few days ago near Rüsselsheim. A so-called restriction zone was set up around the discovery site in a radius of approximately 15 kilometers. "The virus we are talking about here is highly dangerous for pigs. There is no vaccination. The disease is incurable and fatal in almost all cases," said Jung. "For humans, there is absolutely no risk. Meat consumption is also completely harmless. The same applies to pets."

Plenary debate

1. The CDU politician, Ingmar Jung, stated in the Parliament in Wiesbaden that drones are being used to search for more African Swine Fever-infected carcasses in Hesse.
2. Jung also mentioned that no additional positive cases have been found yet, following the initial discovery of the virus in a wild boar.
3. To prevent the disease from spreading, measures such as leash requirements for dogs and hunting bans have been implemented in the affected communities.
4. Agriculture and especially pig farmers are subject to strict regulations to limit the spread of African Swine Fever.
5. Although Jung expressed uncertainty about the extent of the outbreak, a fence is being installed near the discovery site and is expected to be completed by Wednesday.
6. Jung reassured the public that the virus is not harmful to humans or pets, and meat consumption remains safe.

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