OccurrenceAfrican Swine Fever was frist reported in Kenya in 1921 and has become enzootic in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Outside Africa, ASF war first reported in Portugal in 1957. The disease remerged in 1960 and became enzootic in the Iberian Peninsula until the early 1990s. The last outbreak was reported in 1999 in Portugal. Evidence was found, that ticks of the species Ornithodoros erraticus were associated with the persistence and recurrence of the disease. In Italy, African Swine Fever is enzootic (endemic) in Sardinia, where 28 outbreaks of African swine fever were reported in 1998 and 22 outbreaks in 1999. Most outbreaks have been in the province of Nuoro, but Cagilari has also been affected. Antibodies to the virus have been found in the local wild boar population. ASF Virus was introduced to several other European countries as well as to the Carribean (Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Brazil. In all these countries, ASF has been successfully eradicated. In recent years, ASF has spread through many West African countries, causing major economic losses and it was introduced to Madagascar for the first time in 1998. |
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