According to the latest data, all newly confirmed cases were found in the Barcelona district. This makes it the third administrative district where ASF-infected wild boar have been detected, after the neighboring districts of Vallès Occidental and Baix Llobregat.
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the appearance of cases in Barcelona is not the result of a major geographical leap of the virus. Rather, it is likely explained by the complex configuration of administrative boundaries, as the infected animals were found in a hilly, forested area that administratively belongs to the Barcelona district.
Overall, the virus has now been detected in nine municipalities across three districts. The affected area stretches approximately 17 km from north to south and nearly 8 km from east to west.
In response to the continued spread of the disease, the Catalan government has announced plans to significantly reduce the wild boar population. In particular, authorities aim to cull about 12,000 animals within a 20 km radius of the location where the first ASF-infected wild boar carcass was found in November.
Additionally, to help contain the outbreak, Collserola Natural Park — covering 8,259 hectares — has been closed. This is the area where the first ASF cases in wild boar were detected. Experts estimate that about 600 wild boars living within the park will have to be culled.
According to Antoni Mur, chief inspector of the Catalan government’s Rural Agents service, forestry officers together with hunting groups will carry out large-scale population control measures to prevent further spread of the virus.
PigUA.info based on materials from pigprogress.net