The Government investigates whether the swine fever outbreak detected in Collserola came from a laboratory

The Ministry of Agriculture has opened an investigation into the origin of the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) detected in the Collserola mountain range (Barcelona) to know if the disease came from a laboratory. It has done so after having received the report from the European Union reference laboratory in which they point out that all the viruses currently circulating in the Member States belong to a different group than that detected in the province of Barcelona.

According to the results of sequencing the ASF virus genome, the viruses currently circulating belong to genetic groups 2-28, while the Collserola virus is a new one from genetic group 29. This is “very similar to genetic group 1 that circulated in Georgia in 2007” and which, according to the ministry, is frequently used in experimental infections in confinement facilities to conduct studies and evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines.

That is why they point out that “it is possible that the origin of the virus is not in animals or products of animal origin coming from one of the countries in which the infection is currently present.” Given this situation, the General Directorate of Health of Agri-Food Production and Animal Welfare has informed the Nature Protection Service (Seprona) of the Civil Guard the need to investigate these facts, as a competent authority.

In addition, it has initiated an investigation procedure into the origin of the virus within the framework of article 57.2 of the 2016 EU Regulation, which aims identify establishments and epidemiological unitsas well as food and feed companies where animals may have been infected or contaminated.

It is also intended to obtain information about the movement of captive animals, people, products, vehicles or any other material or means that may have contributed to the spread of the virus in the area during the period prior to the notification of the suspicion or confirmation of the disease.

These investigations are complementary to what was already started last November 28, date on which the outbreak of African swine fever was detected in Cerdanyola del Vallés. Currently, there are 13 positive cases.

The Minister of Agriculture of the Generalitat, Oscar Ordeig, He has asked for “prudence and calm” in the face of the latest information and has insisted that the report “is not conclusive nor does it rule out other conclusions.” “Let’s let the scientists work,” he said in a press conference in which he assured that The Government “will go to the end to clarify the origin of the strain.”

“It’s too early, we need more information,” Ordeig responded when asked if the outbreak could have been the cause of a leak in the IRTA-CReSA research center, located a few meters from where the first two swine fever positives were found. He also explained that the Mossos d’Esquadra have the information and that they have opened an information file in case “samples or complementary measures” are needed.

The head of the Department of Agriculture has insisted that now the “absolute priority” of the Catalan Executive is to keep the virus under controls, so if nothing changes, they will keep the device already running. “A radius of six kilometers is immense,” recalled Ordeig, who assessed positively that all the cases were found within this perimeter.