Swine fever reaches Lääne County
Lääne County in Northwestern Estonia joined the ranks of other regions of the country in which African swine fever (ASF) has been found after the virus was detected in one wild boar hunted in Hanila Municipality and four wild boar hunted in Kullamaa Municipality. ASF has now been detected in every county of Estonia except the island county of Hiiumaa.
This marks the 33rd infected area in the country. "These finds illustrate the widespread reach of the disease among wild boars and thus everyone — both pig farmers and anyone working out in the woods — must continue to be diligent and cautious in order to avoid spreading the disease to domestic pig farms," explained Estonian Veterinary and Food Board (VTA) Deputy Director General Olev Kalda.
In order to prevent the continued spread of ASF, work must continue on lessening wild boar numbers as well as removing potentially infectious carcasses from the wild.
"We are very grateful to people who have already informed us of carcasses they have found in the forest," said Kalda, who encouraged people to continue calling their local county veterinary center or the VTA's tip hotline at +372 605 4750 with any new information. "By doing so you are significantly contributing to the prevention of ASF's continued spread," he added.
A total of 11,501 wild boar have been tested in Estonia this year, of which 1,147 have tested positive for ASF. 756 wild boar have been tested in Lääne County, of which five have tested positive for the disease.
Editor: Editor: Aili Vahtla