Expert Meeting on African Swine Fever, Berlin January, 26th 2011

African Swine Fever (ASF) is one of the most important diseases of pigs. It is characterized by high mortality, severe socio-economic consequences, unpredictable international spread and lack of possibilities for therapeutic or immunoprophylactic control. Since 2007, the disease has been spreading in the Caucausus and in Russia. Meanwhile, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Western Russia up to the Ukrainian border, and the Northern part of the country up to the area around St. Petersburg are affected. ASF has also spread south as far as Northern Iran, where it has been detected in wild boar. The Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut was involved in EU investigations on the distribution of ASF in Eastern Europe, especially in the Ukraine, and has intensified its cooperation with Russia in the field of research. Under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) two expert meetings have taken place with representants from Russia, the Ukraine, Italy (ASF has been present on the island of Sardinia since 1978), Spain, the FAO, the OIE, the EU Reference Laboratory for ASF and scientists of the FLI. At the occasion of the most recent meeting in January 2011, reports were presented on the current ASF situation in different countries.