Ukraine's State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Rights Protection in the past several days received confirmation of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks recorded in Odesa, Poltava, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv and Rivne regions.

According to a posting on the authority's website, since February 16, 2017 pigs have died in private households of citizens in Zakharivka (Odesa region), Velyka Oleksandrivka, Yakymove and Tyshky (Poltava region), Baksheyivka (Kharkiv region) and Diadkovychi (Rivne region).

ASF was diagnosed during the examination of the selected samples of biological material of the pigs.

In addition, on February 19 ASF virus was diagnosed after testing biological material of a wild boar in Rybne, Ivano-Frankivsk region where the animals are kept in open-air cages.

It was a first time when ASF virus was recorded in Ivano-Frankivsk region.

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.