Russian watchdog sees ASF situation worsening in neighboring countries

MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax) - The situation with the spread of African swine fever (ASF) in countries neighboring Russia continues to worsen, despite the declared execution of plans to eliminate outbreaks of infection, Russian plant and animal health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor said.

Veterinary services in China, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine registered 535 cases of ASF among wild boar and one among domestic pigs (in Hong Kong) as of February 16, data from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) showed.

Attention needs to be paid to active reports of ASF cases near Russia's borders with Latvia (up to 6 km from Pskov Region) and with Poland (up to 700 meters from Kaliningrad Region), Rosselkhoznadzor said.

In addition, given the development of panzootic ASF in Poland and the recurrence of ASF in the south of the country, there is a high risk of further spread to Slovakia, as the last ASF case was found 5 km from the Polish-Slovak border. There were 461 ASF outbreaks in Poland as of February 16.

The unfavourable epizootic situation with ASF in neighboring, primarily European countries requires timely oversight measures by the relevant authorities and all stakeholders in Russian regions that border them, Rosselkhoznadzor said.