Finnish pigs threatens by African swine flu

Finnish pigs are threatened by the spread of African swine fever which is not only permanently present in the Sardinian region of Italy, but has also spread to Russia and from other eastern European countries to the Baltics.

                                  

In Estonia, the situation is very bad: some twenty pig farms are infected, and at least 20000 pigs had to be eradicated. The disease is also abundant in wild boar, warned officials at the agriculture and forestry department.

The spread of swine fever can have catastrophic consequences in Finland. 

“If the disease were limited to only wild boar, of which there are only about 1300 in Finland, the situation would not be so dire. If the disease spreads to farm animals, the devastation could easily rise to at least ten million euros,” said deputy director of agriculture and forestry department ,Taina Aaltonen.

Swine fever is a bleeding disorder which like other similar diseases spreads easily through bodily fluids like saliva, urine and blood. The disease can also spread through contaminated feed, work clothes or even through dirt on the soles of shoes.

There is no vaccine or cure against swine fever and all animals infected eventually die from the disease.

FINLAND TIMES