The African swine fever virus (ASFV) is currently spreading through the northern part of the country, between Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria and Piedmont. At present, there are active clusters in Reggio Calabria, in the region of Campania, and in Rome, respectively. Altogether, there are 60,000 animals under restrictions, including about 2,000 infected wild boars and 21 outbreaks among domestic pigs. ASF virus is a viral disease affecting pigs and wild boar, caused by a virus from the Asfaviridae family, within the Asfivirus genus. To date, no vaccines have been developed for this disease. While there are no direct health risks to humans, the socio-economic impacts in the affected countries are quite significant.
In order to maintain a high level of vigilance, The Italian Special Commissioner for ASFV, Vincenzo Caputo, has recently issued an “Extraordinary Plan for the Capture, Killing, and Disposal of Wild Boar and Update of Strategic Actions for the Development of Eradication Plans in the African Swine Fever Restriction Zones 2023-2028”. This includes conducting a census of infected samples and, in certain situations, the targeted culling of these animals.
