African swine fever in wild boar is spreading more rapidly this year

African swine fever (ASF) has already been detected in 146 places in Lithuania in the first months of this year, and the disease has been confirmed in 243 wild boars: 211 carcasses and 32 hunted. The State Food and Veterinary Service (SVVT) is observing a trend of the most intense spread of the disease this year in the last five years.

„Our active monitoring shows that the virus is spreading much more intensively in the wild boar population this year. Last year at the same time, we had almost a third fewer cases. We are also seeing an increase in the number of sites infected with ASF and the virus has already spread to 53% of Lithuania. This year, the threat of the virus is imminent in the municipalities of Skuodas, N. Akmenė, Joniškis and Zarasai, while the greatest threat of infection is coming from Latvia," commented the Chief Veterinarian of the Republic of Lithuania, Vaidotas Kiudulas.

The VMVT points out that the most important expectation in reducing the threat of the virus spreading in the wild is for hunters to keep the wild boar population as low as possible, as this is the most important way to prevent the animals from contracting and spreading the deadly virus. It is also essential to comply with biosecurity requirements.

„It is very important that hunted wild boar is only handled in properly equipped game pre-treatment sites, and it is also essential to wash clothes, disinfect equipment and vehicles after transporting the animal. With the increase of ASF in wild boar, the likelihood that this aggressive virus can be transmitted to pig farms at any time through carelessness is greatly increased in this period. In order to protect pig farms and wild boar populations from the effects of this devastating disease, it is essential to identify the natural circulation sites of the ASF virus as soon as possible. This requires vigilance on the part of all hunters and the testing of hunted wild boar for ASF“, – emphasises  V. Kiudulas.

The places and times for receiving samples from hunted wild boar are published on the VMVT page. The Service also reminds you of the most important biosecurity measures during hunting.

According to the VMVT, an increased prevalence of ASF in wild animals has also been observed this year in neighbouring countries. In January and February 2025, the virus was most prevalent in Estonia, where it has already reached 70% of last year's level compared to 2024, while in Poland it was 49%, in Latvia 30% and in Lithuania 28% of the total number of ASF cases detected in 2024.