African swine fever - Presumably first cases of swine fever in Rhineland-Palatinate
African Swine Fever has reportedly reached Rhineland-Palatinate, according to initial findings. Two suspicious wild boars were discovered in Gimbsheim, in the Alzey-Worms district, on Saturday, the Environment Ministry in Mainz and the district administration announced. The virus of African Swine Fever was identified during an initial examination of the samples at the State Laboratory.
The samples were sent to the National Reference Laboratory for African Swine Fever at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute for confirmation. A result is expected as early as Tuesday. One of the animals was already dead, while the other was close to death.
Searching for possible carcasses
The responsible Alzey-Worms district administration has taken over the investigation into the dead wild boars and convened an expert group at the district level. The wild boars were made harmless. The district administration will decide on further action on Tuesday. The ministry stated that trained dogs and drones with thermal imaging cameras are being used to search for further carcasses in the suspected infected area.
African Swine Fever is a notifiable animal disease in pigs and wild boars with high mortality. Transmitters are sick pigs, but also virus-carrying animal carcasses and slaughter and waste products. Clinical symptoms are nonspecific. High fever, anorexia, respiratory and gastrointestinal problems, and skin discoloration, as well as sudden deaths, are among the symptoms. Clinical symptoms cannot be distinguished from those of classical swine fever. Vaccines do not currently exist. However, there is no risk of transmission to humans or other animal species.
Swine in Hessen infected - Control zone extends to Rhineland-Palatinate
In the neighboring Hesse, African Swine Fever has already been confirmed in a domestic pig. A farm with nine pigs in Biebesheim am Rhein (Gross-Gerau district) is affected, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. The pigs were slaughtered under veterinary supervision.
A so-called control zone with a radius of three kilometers and a surveillance zone (ten kilometers) was set up around the farm - it extends to Rhineland-Palatinate. In the surveillance zone, there are strict restrictions on the trade of pigs and pig products, as well as the slaughtering. The trade in live animals is generally prohibited. Manure, sludge, and used bedding should not be taken out of the zone. Slaughter products may only be marketed in Germany or must be heated for export (canned goods). According to the ministry, there are around 3,500 pigs living in the zone on the Hessian side.
- The identification of African Swine Fever in the wild boars has raised concerns within the BMU and local authorities, as the virus can potentially spread to domestic pigs.
- The veterinary authorities in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse are working closely with the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute to monitor the situation and contain any potential spread of the virus.
- In addition to the two wild boars in Alzey-Worms, there have been reports of diseased animals in nearby regions, leading to increased vigilance amongst animal health officials.
- The BMU has urged the public to report any signs of illness or dead animals among wild boars or domestic pigs in the affected areas, to aid in early detection and control efforts.
- With confirmed cases of African Swine Fever in both Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, the German Animal Welfare Act has been invoked, ensuring strict regulations in the control and surveillance zones.
- The Environment Ministry in Mainz, as well as the Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse Agriculture Ministries, are advising farmers and livestock owners to implement biosecurity measures to protect their animals from the virus.
- To strengthen the control and surveillance efforts, the local governments in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse are employing specialized teams and equipment, including drones with thermal imaging cameras and trained sniffer dogs, in their attempts to locate infected animals.
