GERMANY

Germany: First case of ASF confirmed in Rhineland-Palatinate

African swine fever (ASF) has reached Rhineland-Palatinate for the first time. In Gimbsheim animals suspected of being infected were sampled as part of the search for infected wild boars. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) has now confirmed the suspicion of ASF in one of the wild boars, which was found on July 6th. The animal disease control center was immediately put on standby. There is also another suspected case in the Bingen-Mainz district.

Posted on Jul 12 ,00:20

Due to further ASF cases in Hesse, it became necessary to expand the restriction zone. As a result, the city of Mainz and parts of the Mainz-Bingen district as well as the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate were also affected and the search for wild boar carcasses was expanded there.

According to the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy and Mobility in Rhineland-Palatinate, a dead and a dying wild boar were found and samples taken in Gimbsheim in the Alzey-Worms district on July 6 as part of the search for sick wild boars. Since this would be the first case ever in Rhineland-Palatinate, the sample was sent to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) for confirmation. The FLI's confirmation test for one of the wild boars found on July 6 has now also come back positive. Further searches for wild boar carcasses are currently being carried out with trained search dogs and drones with thermal imaging cameras in the area suspected to be infected.

The responsible district administration of Alzey-Worms has begun investigations into the wild boars found dead and has called together a group of experts at district level. The wild boars were disposed of safely. The district administrator of the responsible district administration of Alzey-Worms, Heiko Sippel, has put the animal disease control center of the Rheinhessen association on standby. In addition, the district's ASF expert group was called to an extraordinary meeting to assess the situation and the results of the investigation and to determine the first possible measures.

Furthermore, the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy and Mobility in Rhineland-Palatinate announced that there was another suspected case of ASF following an initial investigation by the State Office of Investigation in a dead wild boar in Oppenheim in the Mainz-Bingen district. This could potentially affect the second district in Rhineland-Palatinate. The district was already within the restriction zone after the first ASF findings in Hesse.

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