African swine fever: early detection is key to controlling spread

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African swine fever: early detection is key to controlling spread

5 November 2019
News
Improved surveillance, communication and collaboration are key to controlling the spread of African swine fever in Europe, according to a new risk assessment carried out by EFSA.

The assessment estimates the potential for the disease to spread across south-eastern Europe. It was requested by the European Commission to support efforts to control and prevent the spread of the disease in the region.

EFSA evaluated the possibility of spread among nine disease-free countries – Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.

The agency concludes that the chances of the disease spreading among these countries within one year of introduction are very high (66-100%). However, the chances of the disease spreading west into other EU Member States within the same time frame are rated as very low (0-15%).