The Veterinary Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina continuously monitors the epidemiological situation regarding African swine fever and undertakes activities to ensure international expert assistance and donations of diagnostic and laboratory equipment. Extensive measures are being taken to mitigate the negative economic consequences for growers.
According to the report of the Joint Center for Disease Control, Veterinary Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a total of 883 foci of African swine fever were registered in the Republika Srpska entity, field teams recorded remediation at 851 locations, and 38,303 animals were euthanized and harmlessly removed.
In the Federation of BiH entity, outbreaks were recorded on a total of 70 properties, and 439 animals were euthanized and harmlessly removed.
Also, in the Brčko District, the infection was recorded on a total of 185 properties, and 5,700 animals were euthanized and harmlessly removed.
By August 28 of this year, the total number of euthanized and harmlessly removed animals in BiH was 44,442.
Director of the Veterinary Office, Saša Bošković, said in an interview for Fena that Bijeljina recorded the largest number of infected farms, almost the entire territory of Brčko District recorded infection on pig farms, and in FBiH the largest number of infected animals was recorded in Orašje and surrounding villages.
In addition to African swine fever, the occurrence of brucellosis is recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bošković explained that brucellosis, as an endemic disease of humans and animals, has existed continuously for the past 20 years in the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and represents a serious public health, clinical, veterinary and economic problem.
Brucellosis is an endemic disease, he states, in all Mediterranean countries, and only Spain and France have succeeded in eradicating/destroying this disease.
“For this reason, in 2009, the veterinary service of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted a new method of combating this infectious disease – vaccination of all small ruminants older than 3 months. The primary goal of vaccination is to reduce the number of sick people and prevent the spread of the disease by creating an immune population of animals,” said Bošković.
As he added, since 2018, when a slight increase in the number of animals infected with brucellosis was last observed, according to official data, until the beginning of 2023, no progression of the disease was recorded in humans and animals.
Official data for 2022 indicate a greater number of hotspots in the FBiH entity compared to the RS entity and Brčko District (22 municipalities, 65 hotspots, 51 sick people, 660 sick animals).
“The Veterinary Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina undertakes extensive measures in order to mitigate the negative economic consequences for breeders when it comes to the occurrence of African swine fever and brucellosis in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” emphasizes Bošković.
When it comes to the control and suppression of African swine fever, he said, in the entity of RS, in accordance with the emerging epidemiological situation and the resulting economic damages, amendments to the Rulebook on measures for the control of African swine fever were adopted.
“The new measures are applied in the territory of the Republika Srpska entity, and allow farm owners in threatened areas to relocate healthy animals to territories free of this disease, with the fulfillment of prescribed prerequisites,” he pointed out.
It also clarifies that veterinary-inspection supervision of mass forced slaughter of animals is intensified, and slaughtering on farms, exclusively for the farm’s own needs, is only possible with prior control of the animals’ health status.
Slaughter of a large number of animals (more than five) is performed in authorized slaughterhouses according to prescribed conditions and under veterinary supervision.
Also, placing animals and animal products on the market is conditioned by a negative result of tested animals for the presence of the African swine fever virus, mandatory and adequate heat treatment of meat and products, as well as proof of the supervision of the entire process by an authorized veterinarian.
“Compensation for economic damage is carried out by the Government of RS in accordance with the assessment of the market value of animals, and by the end of August four million BAM were paid to animal owners who suffered damages, and two million BAM to owners in the slaughterhouse and processing sector,” emphasized Bošković.
Also, on August 24 of this year, a conference was held in Banja Luka on the occasion of the exchange of experiences when it comes to the strategy for effective control of this disease, and experts in this field, as well as representatives of competent institutions and professions from Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro participated, Fena news agency reports.
