Animal virology

Over 18,000 birds have been affected by the avian flu at a farm in the town of Sieni, Maramures county (northern Romania), the diseased birds to be sacrificed.

More than 40,000 pigs will be put down in Varna, the reason African swine fever case.

A few days ago, new cases of ASF were registered in the village of Brestak.

The pig farm is one of the largest in the area. It employs about 130 people.

After the new case of the ASF, authorities banned the transportation of animals.

A 61-year-old man has died from pneumonia in the central Chinese city of Wuhan after an outbreak of a yet to be identified virus while seven others are in critical condition, the Wuhan health authorities said on Jan. 11.   

A cluster of more than 50 pneumonia cases in China's central city of Wuhan may be due to a newly emerging member of the family of viruses that caused the deadly SARS and MERS outbreaks, World Health Organization (WHO) said on Jan. 8.   

The pork's price in Bulgaria is the highest since 10 years. Only in September, its price jumped by about 45%, which places the country fourth in the European Union in price.

Manufacturers and processors largely attribute this increase to the African Swine Fever that has affected the country.

The president of the National Authority for Veterinary and Food Safety (ANSVSA) will be changed and we are currently conducting a procedure to identify a serious candidate, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced on Wednesday.

Frozen pork is widely available in stores in Europe, and is often marketed by traders as fresh. Therefore, managers of pig farms in Ruse are warned. The reason is the drop in production of more than 20% of Bulgarian fresh meat after the African swine fever epidemic.

The African Swine Fever (ASF) is present in 346 localities of 26 counties (out of a total of 41 counties, ed. n.), with a number of 1,223 outbreaks (of which 13 in commercial farms and 6 in type-A farms), an increase over September 12 when 1,185 outbreaks were reported.

China, which has been hit hard by a large-scale swine fever epidemic that has led to a sharp price spike, will take out 10,000 tonnes of frozen pork from its strategic reserves to prevent any shortfall in the run-up to the '70s. Anniversary of the regime, AFP reported.

European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis arrives in Bulgaria. The reason - a meeting of experts about the African swine fever epidemic. Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva will also participate in the meeting.

The experts will discuss the spread of the contagion in Europe and outline actions to tackle the problem.