The total number of domestic pig outbreaks in Germany rises to 8 after confirmation of African swine fever on a farm in Brandenburg. In fact, authorities have confirmed that the death of two pigs in eastern Germany late last month was also due to African swine fever: the animals belonged to an 11-head backyard herd in the Cottbus city district, according to the Brandenburg state government.

According to the German authorities' timeline, three outbreaks occurred among domestic pigs in Brandenburg in July 2021; these were followed by another outbreak on a farm 12 months later. The cases were located in three different districts of the state. In the past 10 days, veterinary authorities in six European states have registered new cases of Psa in wild boars with the Woah, World organization for animal health: from Poland (134), to Italy (65), Hungary (54), North Macedonia (15), Romania (8) and Latvia (1).

The latest outbreak brings to eight the number of confirmed cases of psa in domestic pigs in Germany since 2021: in addition to the five locations in Brandenburg, cases have occurred on a farm in each of the states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Lower Saxony and on a backyard farm in Baden-Wurttemberg. Just a week before the latest pig outbreak, the first cases of swine fever were reported in the city district of Cottbus: all of these cases involved wild boars. 

According to the latest update of the European Commission's Animal Disease Information System, six European countries recorded one or more outbreaks of plague among farmed pigs in 2023: along with Germany, Ukraine also confirmed its first outbreak in 2023. Romania has recorded the largest number of outbreaks, with 43 so far this year; Serbia's total is 11 and Moldova's is 10.

This year, the total number of Psa outbreaks in Europe has reached 2,212 cases: sixteen countries have recorded one or more outbreaks since Jan. 1. Among the nations reporting more cases in this population are Poland (747 outbreaks so far), Germany (408), Italy (195), Slovakia (175), Hungary (159) and Romania (147). Also reporting new psa outbreaks to the community system since the previous update on Feb. 18 are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, northern Macedonia and Serbia.