The African swine fever virus in Serbia is currently active in seven districts and 52 settlements. In the past two days, two new hotspots have been registered, one of which is in the town of Bezdan, located in the immediate vicinity of the border with Croatia, and the other is in the South Backa District, specifically in the towns of Žabalj and Gospodinci.
The situation was confirmed by Serbian Minister of Agriculture Dragan Glamočić, who in a statement to Serbian Radio and Television indicated that the data from the field is not good at all. However, he added that the spread of the virus during this period is expected due to the natural migrations of wild boars.
The main reasons for the rapid spread
Humans and wild boars have been identified as the main carriers of this infectious disease. An additional problem is currently the record low water level of the Danube River. This natural phenomenon further facilitates the transmission of the virus, as wild boars can cross the river in certain shallow places even without swimming.
Measures taken and declaration of a state of emergency
Since the first outbreak of the disease to date, around 28,000 pigs have already died or been euthanized, and some farm owners have been temporarily banned from breeding for a period of one month.
Due to the seriousness of the situation, a state of emergency has already been declared in the areas of Ruma, Sremska Mitrovica, Šabac and Obrenovac.
The largest number of active hotspots have been observed at the border points between the Sremska and Mačva districts, as well as in the vicinity of Belgrade. Other municipalities are expected to introduce a state of emergency very soon, which will significantly facilitate all logistics, the rapid engagement of appropriate machinery and field personnel responsible for disinfection and the implementation of other protective measures.
As one of the key emergency measures to prevent the further spread of the virus among wild boars, the minister announced organized hunting under strict control, which implies mandatory testing of each eliminated individual.
Global and regional context
According to official data from the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, African swine fever has currently been confirmed in more than 70 countries worldwide. Among them are 16 European countries, including neighboring countries in the region such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary and Romania.
