Fears of ANOTHER global pandemic as hoard of new African swine fever cases sweep Europe

Four more cases have been discovered in wild boar according to the German agricultural ministry. The latest infections were recorded in Brandenburg, a state in the east of Germany.

So far 69 African swine fever cases have been recorded since September.

Whilst the disease is harmless to humans it can be fatal to pigs.

All the German cases thus far have been in wild animals but there are fears it will cross over into commercially farmed pigs.

According to the agricultural ministry the disease, which is highly infectious, is also likely to have spread to more wild boar.

After the initial outbreak was confirmed in September China banned imports of pork from Germany.

This caused Chinese pork prices to rise and forced German farmers to switch to alternative markets.

African swine fever emerged in the early 20th century with the first retrospectively identified case in 1907.

It was first positively identified in 1921 after an outbreak in Kenya, then under British colonial control.

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There is no commercially available vaccine for African swine fever.

It comes as the world continues to battle the coronavirus epidemic which broke out in China late last year.

The disease has already killed over a million people and forced countries all over the world into lockdown.

The US has reported the most coronavirus deaths and cases, with the infection having killed 216,000 people in America.

source: express.co.uk