The African swine fever virus in Serbia is present in seven districts and 52 settlements, with two new hotspots emerging in the last two days. One is in Bezdan, right on the border with Croatia, and the other in the South Bačka towns of Žabalj and Gospođinci.
These figures were presented on Saturday by the Serbian Minister of Agriculture, Dragan Glamočić. Speaking to Radio Television of Serbia, he said that "the data from the ground are not good", but also that the spread of the virus had been expected due to migrations within the wild boar population. He warned that the record-low water levels of the Danube further facilitate the spread of the disease, as wild boars can cross the river in some places without swimming.
Since the outbreak of the infection, around 28,000 pigs have been killed or died, and the breeding of pigs by some farm owners has been banned for a month. A state of emergency has been declared in the areas of Ruma, Sremska Mitrovica, Šabac and Obrenovac. It is expected that other municipalities will introduce it as well to facilitate logistics and the implementation of disinfection.
The highest number of hotspots is recorded at the junction of the Srem and Mačva districts and Belgrade. As one of the measures, the minister announced organised hunting for wild boars under strict control, which includes the verification of every eliminated animal.
According to data from the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, African swine fever is present in more than 70 countries worldwide, including 16 European states. Among them are Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and Romania.
