Ukraine's State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Rights Protection in the past several days received confirmation of an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak recorded in Poltava and Cherkasy regions.

According to a posting on the website of the authority, pigs died in public joint-stock company Kaplyntsivske (Poltava region) and private enterprise Shulz (Chekasy region)

ASF was diagnosed during the examination of the selected samples of biological material of the pigs on May 12 and May 13.

Measures are being taken to localize the disease on the site of the outbreak and prevent the spread of ASF pathogens.

The ASF virus is the causative agent of ASF. The virus causes a hemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates in pigs, but persistently infects its natural hosts, warthogs, bush pigs and soft ticks of the Ornithodoros genus, without any visible symptoms. There is currently no vaccine against ASF.