Health authorities launch campaign to fight African swine flu

Veterinary officers will visit farms in Hungary in August to promote preventive measures against the African swine flue, the head of the national animal health organisation told public television M1 on Friday.

Lajos Bognár said that the epidemic was controlled in Hungary and the virus has not spread to domestic animals. The virus has been isolated from some 30 boars in the forests of the northern and north-eastern hills, he added.

Farmers are advised to fence off their animal stock, disinfect equipment and not to feed animals with food waste, the chief veterinary officer said.

He added that the virus affected domestic pigs and wild boars but was harmless for humans.

Bognár noted that an outbreak of the epidemic was reported from Romania, where over 500 cases were recorded, with domestic stock included. He added that the situation was similarly bad in Ukraine.

Source: MTI