African Swine Fever in Poland Update on the situation and implemented actions Joanna Szwast Michał Popiołek General Veterinary Inspectorate

African Swine Fever in Poland Update on the situation and implemented actions Joanna Szwast Michał Popiołek General Veterinary Inspectorate

Outline - The Polish plan of measures taken in order to eradicate African swine fever in wild boars in infected area and buffer zone; - ASF in wild boars in Poland: description of four cases.

Regionalisation The infected area (marked in bright red on the map) The following areas in podlaskie region: Giby and Sejny municipalities with the city of Sejny in sejneński district; Lipsk and Płaska municipalities in augustowski district; Czarna Białostocka, Gródek, Supraśl, Wasilków and Michałowo municipalities in białostocki district Dąbrowa Białostocka, Janów, Krynki, Kuźnica, Nowy Dwór, Sidra, Sokółka and Szudziałowo municipalities in sokólski district. Buffer zone (marked yellow on the map) The following areas in podlaskie region: The city of Suwałki; The city of Białystok; municipalities of: Suwałki, Szypliszki and Raczki in suwalski district; municipalities of: Augustów with the city of Augustów, Nowinka, Sztabin and Bargłów Kościelny in augustowski district; municipalities of Krasnopol and Puńsk in sejneński district; municipalities of: Goniądz, Jasionówka, Jaświły, Knyszyn, Krypno, Mońki in moniecki district municipalities of Suchowola and Korycin in sokólski district; municipalities of Choroszcz, Juchnowiec Kościelny, Suraż, Turośń Kościelna, Tykocin, Zabłudów and Dobrzyniewo Duże in białostocki district; municipalities of: Bielsk Podlaski with the city of Bielsk Podlaski, Orla and Wyszki in bielski district; municipalities of: Narew, Narewka, Białowieża, Czyże, Dubicze Cerkiewne and Hajnówka with the city of Hajnówka in hajnowski district.

Implemented measures In the areas established in accordance with Decision 2014/178/EU all appropriate measures have been implemented (concerning trade, biosecurity, production of products of animal origin) Furthermore, laboratory tests of samples collected from pigs and wild boars in the area and the rest of the country are ongoing.

The Polish plan for eradication of ASF in wild boar The Polish plan of measures taken in order to eradicate African swine fever in wild boars in infected area and buffer zone has been prepared according to Article 16 of Council Directive 2002/60/EC of 27 June 2002 laying down specific provisions for the control of African swine fever and amending Directive 92/119/EEC as regards Teschen disease and African swine fever (hereinafter the plan ), taking into consideration the evaluation of the Plan by the group of experts on ASF that was established after the first two cases of ASF in Poland were confirmed. Poland has submitted the plan to the Commission in due time.

The Polish plan for eradication of ASF in wild boar The plan includes: 1. Information on the epidemiological situation. 2. Information on establishment of the infected area and buffer zone areas subject to implementation of the measures specified in the Plan. 3. Description of rules of surveillance in wild boars in the infected area and buffer zone. 4. Description of the rules of surveillance in holdings in the infected area. 5. Description of execution of measures specified in the Plan.

The Polish plan for eradication of ASF in wild boar In the Plan it is foreseen that the area of application of measures as regards wild boars should be greater than the area of application of measures on holdings and consequently: - the measures concerning the wild boar population should encompass both the infected area and the buffer zone; - the measures applied on holdings should encompass the infected area. No additional measures are indicated in the Plan as regards holdings within the buffer zone - pigs in the buffer zone are already subjected to the surveillance, as laid down in relevant legislation (ASF monitoring programme).

Measures taken to eradicate the diseases in wild boar in infected area and buffer zone Measures taken to eradicate the diseases in wild boars in infected area (part II of the Annex to Decision 2014/178/EU) and buffer zone (part I of the Annex to Decision 2014/178/EU): Enhanced surveillance is the main measure implemented in the infected area and buffer zone. All wild boars found dead and sick, shot and roadkill are subject to sampling and testing for ASF. It is assumed that every year about 8000 wild boar will be shot in the in those areas (efforts will be made to keep the wild boar population stable) An epidemiological enquiry, which will include the completion of an epidemiological report, carried out by the Veterinary Inspection on each wild boar found sick, dead or shot and roadkill. Intensified wild boar hunts are not planned since the wild boar density in those areas is considered to be relatively low.

Measures applied in the holdings in the infected area. Inspections of holdings by an official veterinarian: 1. Rutine inspection - all the holdings, in which susceptible animals are kept are subject to inspection by an official veterinarian in regular intervals during which a proportion of animals is subject to a clinical examination and possibly (depending on the outcome of the clinical examination) laboratory testing. a) Additional inspection will be performed in holdings that meet only the basic biosecurity requirements (inspection with obligatory clinical and laboratory testing). c) ASF suspision inspection will be performed in any case of clinical symptoms observation in a herd of susceptible animals, when it is not possible to exclude or confirm ASF (a special procedure for taking samples for laboratory testing is foreseen).

Epidemiological situation Four ASF cases in wild boar found dead

Epidemiological situation 1. and 2. ASF case in wild boars found dead On February 17 th 2014, by a real-time PCR test African swine fever was confirmed in a dead wild boar (male, body weight ca. 50 kg). Found on February 3 rd 2014 by a farmer from the village of Grzybowszczyzna, municipality of Szudziałowo, sokólski district, podlaskie region (voivodeship), at a distance of about 100 m from the farm and about 900 m from the border with Belarus. Presence of genetic material of the ASF virus in the examined sample (bone marrow). This result has been confirmed by the Reference Laboratory of the European Union for ASF (CISA-INIA, Madrid, Spain). On February 18 th, 2014, by a real-time PCR test and a serological test African swine fever was confirmed in a dead wild boar (female, about 3 years old, body weight ca. 100 kg). Found by the Border Guard in the forest near the village of Kruszyniany, municipality of Krynki, sokólski district, podlaskie region, 15 km from the first case and at the distance of about 3 km from the border with Belarus. The samples collected from the carcass gave a positive result in a real-time PCR test and in a serological test (very low titer of ASF anti-bodies was found), which indicates that the infection has been relatively recent.

Epidemiological situation 3. and 4. ASF case in wild boar found dead On 29 and 30 May two new cases of ASF have been confirmed in wild boars found dead in the already existing areas under restrictions that were established in accordance with Decision 2014/178/UE

Epidemiological situation 3. ASF case in wild boar found dead On the 29 May 2014, ASF was confirmed in a dead wild boar (an adult female, 3 years of age, 90 kg) found on the 19 May 2014 on the Polish Belarus border river of Świsłocz. The carcass was located appr. 800 m from the Rudaki village (municipality of Krynki, sokólski district, Podlaskie region) and appr. 4,5 km from the place of finding of the second case of ASF in wild boar. Real-time-PCR test produce a positve result (this result has been confirmed by the Reference Laboratory of the European Union for ASF (CISA-INIA, Madrid, Spain). Routine serological test (ELISA) provide uncertain result, while the confirmatory test (immunobloting) produced a negative result.

Epidemiological situation 4. ASF case in wild boar found dead On the 30 May 2014 ASF has been confirmed in dead wild boar (female wild boar aged 3 4 years old with two piglets) that have been found in the vicinity of Łosiniany village, in sokólski district, Podlaskie region, in distance of 3 km from border with Belarus i.e. the same district in which the three previous cases of ASF have been confirmed respectively on the 17, 18 February and 29 May 2014. Real-time PCR test positve result for all wild boars. Routine serological test (ELISA): positve result for the adult wild boar, first piglet uncertain, second piglet negative. Confirmatory test (immunobloting): - adult female- positve (very low titre of antibodies), - first piglet - negative.

Epidemiological situation Source of infection Direct contact of the wild boar in 3. and 4. case with the first two cases of ASF is highly unlikely as in both recent cases the infection is rather fresh & the carcasses were not old. The ASF viruses isolated in the third case (as was the case in the first case) belongs to genotype 2 and is identical with viruses isolated in Lithuania and Belarus, showing 100% homology, as confirmed by the Reference Laboratory of the European Union for ASF (CISA-INIA, Madrid, Spain). All ASF cases in Poland were located in direct proximity of the border with Belarus (about 1 km in the first case and about 3 km in the fourth case). The source of infection could not be determined with 100% certainty, however bearing in mind the places where the dead wild boar were found (in frontier zone with Belarus), the most probable source of infection of ASF in wild boar in Poland is - as in the first and second case of ASF - transboundary movement of wild boar.

The third and fourth case Implemented measures 1. Wild boar carcass has been safely disposed of by burying and disinfection. 2. A census of pigs has been conducted in the area of a radius of 3 and 10 km from the place of finding of the dead (3rd case) wild boar. 3. In the area of a radius of 3 km there are 3 villages with no pig holdings and no pigs 4. In the area of a radius of 10 km there are 7 villages with 13 pig holdings, in which 53 pigs are kept. 5. Samples have been collected from the 53 pigs for ASF testing negative results.

Data on animal population Wild boar Wild boar population in infected area and buffer zone Wild boar population and population density in parts of podlaskie voivodeship, as of March 2014 [Polish Hunting Association and Directorate General of the State Forests] Zone Wild boar population [heads] Hunting district area [km²] Wild boar population density [heads/km²] infected area 4782 4420,99 1,08 buffer zone 6589 6842,01 0,96 Total 11371 11263,00 1,01

Preventive actions Monitoring Results of monitoring programme in 2011 2014 in the whole country (as of end of February 2014) No. of animals tested 2011-2013 2014 2011-2014 wild wild wild pigs pigs pigs boar boar boar 2 124 13 063 695 3 708 2 819 16 771 total 19 590* * Including a single test on a hybrid of wild boar and domestic pig Except for the two cases (confirmed 17 and 18 February 2014 ) - no positive results as of February 2014

Preventive actions Monitoring Results of surveillance activities in the infected area No. of samples collected 31 March 31 May 1-30 March 2014 2014 (larger area) (smaller area) pigs wild boar pigs wild boar 65 127 shot 33 found dead 5148 3 dead 314 shot 19 found dead* *Two new cases of ASF 29 and 30 of May 2014 (two adult wild boar and 2 piglets)

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