Finland confirms first African swine fever infection in wild boar

Finland’s first African swine fever infection has been confirmed in wild boar found in Virolahti, while 17 new samples were collected from dead animals over the weekend, Yle reports.

The infection in wild boar piglets found in late July was confirmed on Monday by the European Union’s African swine fever reference laboratory in Spain, which verified the Finnish Food Authority’s results.

The additional samples were collected after more dead wild boar were found in Virolahti, in southeastern Finland. The number of samples does not necessarily correspond to the number of animals, as several samples may be taken from one animal.

Some of the dead wild boar were found north of the Vaalimaa border station, outside the current core zone. Finnish Food Authority unit director Matti Nyberg said the findings suggested there may have been one herd near the original discovery site and another herd a few kilometres to the north.

The Finnish Food Authority is preparing to expand the core zone, where restrictions are stricter than in the rest of the infected area. People are not allowed to enter the forest in the core zone unless they are officials.

The infected zone currently covers the municipalities of Virolahti and Miehikkälä, as well as part of Lappeenranta.

It is not yet known whether the wild boar found last week were infected. The first results from animals found on Thursday may be ready on Tuesday.

The search for dead wild boar began systematically in Virolahti on August 6 and will continue for a long time. The animals are taken to a disease-control centre established by the Finnish Food Authority at the Vaalimaa border inspection station, where tissue samples are collected and sent to Helsinki for analysis. The authority is primarily examining whether African swine fever caused the animals’ deaths and when they died.