Outbreak of African swine fever reported in Latvia

An outbreak of African swine fever has been reported at a farmstead in western Latvia, the Baltic state's veterinary authority informed Monday, reported Xinhua.

The first case of African swine fever in domestic pigs in Latvia this year has been found at Krauli, a farmstead in the western Latvian municipality of Gudenieki, Kuldiga district, the Latvian Food and Veterinary Service said.

Representatives of the veterinary authority arrived at the affected farmstead and are taking measures to prevent the disease from spreading. All 31 pigs on the farm will be put down.

The farmstead has been quarantined, encircling the territory with a 3-kilometer protection zone and a 10-kilometer monitoring zone. In this territory, increased biosafety measures will be taken to control the registration and transportation of pigs and pig meat.

An epidemiological probe is underway to determine how the infection reached the pig farm.

The first case of African swine fever in Latvia was reported in June 2014 when three dead wild boards tested positive for the infection. A total of 165 cases of African swine fever have been recorded in Latvia's wild boar population this year.