African swine fever in Kosice

Entry into the forest surrounding the eastern Slovak metropolis of Kosice will not be banned due to African swine fever (AMO) as of yet. However, movement in the forest will be limited to marked trails and paths. Jozef Bires, the head of the State Veterinary and Food Administration, provided information on the measures after a meeting of the National Expert Group for African Swine Fever. "Though the virus is not transmissible to humans, one can unknowingly transmit the virus mechanically, for example on the wheels of one's bicycle, because in dead wild boars the virus can survive for three to six months," Bires said. As he added, within a radius of 10 to 15 kilometers from a discovered carcass, a so-called risk zone will also be defined, which will extend to the Spisska Nova Ves district.