he Monitoring programme Epidemiological l African swine fever (ASF) He goes It is possible that this virus may become endemic in Spain After reintroduction, the odds are much greater if the pathogen reaches the southwest of the peninsula due to the presence of a tick species that is an important vector for transmission.
According to the plan, consulted by EFE, wild boar numbers “are on the rise, and the possibility that the disease may remain endemic, once it re-emerges, must not be taken into account, thanks to the potential for infection of wild boar populations.” This possibility It increases significantly if “tick of the genus Ornithodoros” is infected. The prosecution. In the southwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula, where the disease is widespread, they are natural hosts of the virus and one of the main vectors for transmitting the disease.
In fact, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food recently awarded a contract to the Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca (Irnasa-CSIC) to establish the project. Supply of tests that allow detection of ticks On pig farms in a “context of concern” that already existed due to the development of ASF in the European environment, according to a statement from the aforementioned institute.
In Eastern European countries affected by the current outbreak, The wild boar alone, without the need for ticks, plays an “important” role.“The disease persists. According to scientists, this is due to the absence of scavenger species, in addition to low temperatures in the winter, which causes Corpses Dead wild boars are kept in the field for long periods of time (wintering) and remain untouched The source of infection is wild boars From the following spring.
The Spanish experience
If African swine fever becomes endemic over time in Spain, it would not be the first time the country has faced such a challenge. In fact, as shown in the plan, Spain is considered a “model” in eliminating this disease Which remained “a settlement” in its lands for decades.
Since there is no vaccine against the disease, the final program that… Its implementation began in 1985 and was based on the detection of positive animals Through new serological and viral analysis techniques that would allow the detection of asymptomatic carriers of the virus, the sacrifice of all animals from positive farms, the monitoring of movements and the application of strict sanitary measures.
In addition, included Improvements in biosecurity measures on pig farms. Thanks to the implementation of this eradication programme, in 1995 Spain was declared free of the disease, a situation that remained until last Friday, November 28, with the discovery of six wild boars positive for African swine fever in the province of Barcelona.
The goal is to be PPA-free
The goal, however, is to have Spain regain African swine fever-free status, and to that end, the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO) obligates the country to prove that the disease does not exist even in wild animals. What is required, as the Spanish government stated these days, is 12 months have passed without new positives since the last outbreak Announce. It is a task that many European countries have engaged in since the disease resurfaced in 2007.
Since that year, the disease has been spreading “generally slowly, mainly because of the role it plays Wild boar populations that become infected and transmit it“, as detailed in the National Epidemiological Surveillance Plan. In this spread across Europe “the human factor also played an important role through the disposal of waste generated by contaminated meat products, which were subsequently ingested by wild boars.”