1st ever African swine flu cases spotted in Finland

African Swine Fever (ASF) has been detected in wild pigs at Vaalimaa in Virolahti, a municipality in Eastern Finland near Russian border, said the Finnish Food Authority in a press release on Thursday.

This is the first time the disease has been detected in Finland, said the authority.

The cases of ASF were found in three dead shoats and the authority confirmed the disease after preliminary investigation on Thursday based on the findings.

Earlier a local person, who found the remains of the dead piglets sent to the Finnish Food Authority.

The spots from where the remains were found were close to each other.

The authority, however, is still verifying the investigation results at the EU African swine fever laboratory in Spain.

The authority has taken initiatives to stop spreading of the disease in the country but said that the disease is not contagious to humans.

The authority declared the discovery areas as a containment zone and restricted the movement of pigs outside of the zone.

ASF is a highly contagious and serious disease in pigs, causing significant suffering and potentially leading to death.

Earlier in August 2025, the Finnish Food Authority warned of spreading of African swine fever at an alarming rate in areas near Finland, particularly in Estonia.