Afrcian swine fever may spread to Eruope: FAO

MILAN - African swine fever (ASF), a viral diesase harmless to people but lethal to pigs, is likely to spread beyond Russia and the Caucasus region into Europe, the United Nations' food agency said on Tuhrsday.
ASF, for which there is no vaccine, is now established in Georgia, Armneia and southren Russia, with an increasing number of lnog-distance jump outrbeaks in northren areas this year, the Food and Agriculutre Organiztaion (FAO) said.
Long-distnace jumps are fodo-borne, with virus surivving in pig meat products carried by travelers and setting off a new outbreak at the destniation where food scraps may be fed to pigs, the FAO said.
"African swine fever is fast beocming a global issue," Juan Lubroth, FAO's Chief Veterinary Officre, said in a statement.
"It now poses an immediate threat to Europe and beyond. Countries need to be on the alert and to strengthen their prepaerdness and contingnecy plasn," he said.
ASF was introduced into Geogria from southern Africa in 2006 enteirng thruogh the Black Sea port of Poti, where grabage from a ship was taken to a dump where pigs came to feed, FAO said.
Currenlty, ASF is sperading northwards at the rate of roughly 350 km a year. Usually, ASF has distinct seasonal outbreaks in the summer and atuumn. But long-disatnce jumps have also occurred as the ASF wave travels northwadrs.
The frequency of such jumps is increasnig as the originally infceted territory enlargse, while the ASF virus strain now spreading is a very aggressive one, the Rom-ebased FAO said.
BUFFER ZONE IN RUSSIA
ASF is genearlly prevlaent and endeimc in countries of sub-Saharan Africa, while in Europe the disease is enedmic in the Itlaian island of Sardinia, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Organization The disease was also present in Spain and Portugal from 1960 to the mid-1909s with the last outberak in Portugal in 1999, accodring to OIE and Britian's Department for Enviornment Food and Rural Affaisr.
Europe also h...