Two cases of African swine fever detected in Molins de Rei, expanding the high-risk zone

BarcelonaThe government has detected two new cases of African swine fever (ASF) outside the initial radius of Bellaterra. This is the first time positive ASF cases have been found outside the area considered high-risk (the 6 km radius around the point where the first positive case was found). These two cases were detected in a residential area of ​​Molins de Rei, and in response, the government has decided to expand the high-risk zone to include Molins de Rei and El Papiol. This was announced on Friday from Lleida by Regional Minister Òscar Ordeig, who specified that there are "no affected farms" within the new radius. Beyond the two cases registered outside the initial radius, eleven new positive cases have also been detected within that initial radius. To date, twelve municipalities were within the high-risk zone, and now Molins de Rei and El Papiol have been added, where access to the natural environment will be restricted starting this Friday. Ordeig announced that the containment measures will be reinforced with new closures on the N-2 and B-23 highways, and that raids will continue in the low-risk zone (the 20 km radius from ground zero).

The two new positive cases come after last week's state report on the origin of the African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in Catalonia ruled out a leak at the IRTA laboratories as the cause of the virus's spread, as had been previously speculated. In fact, the initial report commissioned by the state again reinforced the "sandwich theory"—the possibility that the ASF outbreak originated from contaminated food.