ASF Sri Lanka: Virus spreads across the island
The outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) virus in Sri Lanka, as reported in December 2024, has been spreading quickly. The virus appears to have emerged all over the island. Sources say it also has been confirmed in wild boar.
The situation is described crystal clear in a January update by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). From the initial 3 outbreaks, reported in December 2024, the total went up to 138 in January.
The outbreaks appear to have been reported from all over the country: in 13 districts located in 6 out of 9 provinces. The majority of those can be found on the west coast, in the regions around the capital Colombo.
The WOAH reports that the total amount of dead swine is at 25,552. The website of the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) quotes Sri Lanka’s Livestock Statistical Bulletin 2023, in which the total pig population in the country was estimated at 170,409 head, “of which 68% were reared in Western and North Western provinces.”
The FAO update continues, saying that this would suggest that “approximately 1/6 of the population in Sri Lanka has already been affected by the disease.”
ASF virus also in wild boar
Interestingly, the newspaper Sri Lanka Mirror reported that the Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation stated that 100 dead wild boar have also been found in several forest areas. These include the Yala National Park, in the south east of the island. The carcasses tested positive for both ASF virus as well as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSv).
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