ASF Italy: Infected area established in Rome

Due to the recent detection of a case of African swine fever (ASF) in wild boar northwest of the city of Rome, the Lazio Region has established an "infected area" within the Grande Raccordo Anulare, the perimeter of which is delimited by the following boundaries:

• North - Northwest: A90 Grande Raccordo Anulare;
• East - Southeast: Tiber River;
• South: Circonvallazione Clodia, via Cipro, via di San Tommaso D'Acquino, via Arturo Labriola, via Simone Simoni, via Pietro De Cristofaro, via Baldo Degli Ubaldi;
• South - West: via di Boccea.

The area also covers portions of the Insugherata Park, Veio Park, Pineto Park, and Monte Mario Reserve.

The measures taken in the "infected area" to counteract the spread of the ASF virus are:

• reinforcement of passive surveillance by the Park Management and Veterinary Services;
• sampling of carcasses and moribund wild boars by the veterinary services;
• disposal of carcasses by the ASL and the Zooprophylactic Experimental Institute in accordance with maximum biosecurity procedures;
• installation of specific signs to delimit the areas involved in ASF cases;
• prohibition of feeding, approaching, and disturbing wild boars;
• prohibiting the organization of events and meetings, including picnics, outdoors in agricultural and natural areas;
• disinfection of shoes when leaving agricultural and natural areas is recommended;
• fencing of garbage containers to prevent access by wild boars;
• census of commercial and family farms raising pigs and updating the National Database;
• verification of the presence of pigs housed for non-commercial purposes (pigs as pets);
• virological control of all dead pigs and suspected cases.

A "focus zone" has also been identified outside the "infected area", which extends to the entire territory of the ASL RM1 west of the Tiber river.