‘Contaminated sausage sandwich’ blamed for swine fever outbreak in Spain
Swine fever outbreak blamed on contaminated sausage sandwich
- Spain has deployed its military to help contain an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) around Barcelona, marking the first occurrence in the region in three decades.
- Experts believe the highly contagious virus, which is harmless to humans but fatal to pigs and wild boars, may have originated from a contaminated sandwich brought into the country from abroad.
- The number of confirmed ASF cases in wild boars has risen to nine, prompting authorities to use drones and sniffer dogs to locate carcasses for testing.
- The outbreak has led to a freeze on some Spanish pork exports, with the UK and China banning imports from the affected Barcelona province, threatening Spain's multi-billion-euro pork industry.
- Control efforts include the deployment of 300 Catalan police, 117 military personnel, and reinforced biosecurity measures on farms, though no farm animals have tested positive so far.