New developments of the epidemic in the reporting period

Since ASF emerged in western Poland in November 2019, surveillance efforts, in particular examination of wild boar found dead, were intensified in the regions of Germany bordering with Poland. The first case of ASF in wild boar in Germany was detected at approximately 6 km from the Polish border by passive surveillance and confirmed on 10 September 2020. Phylogenetic analysis of the ASFV whole‐genome sequence generated from material of the first carcass detected in Germany revealed that it groups with ASFV Genotype II including all sequences from Eastern Europe, Asia and Belgium. In the weeks and months after the first finding, there were several independent virus entries caused by continuous infection pressure along the border with Poland. Several different clusters could be identified along the border. The course within the individual clusters in Germany was comparable to that in Czechia and Belgium, but the overall situation showed clear differences, due to the multitude of clusters. According to the estimated minimum post‐mortem intervals (PMI), which were estimated from the decomposition of the wild boar carcasses, ASFV was most likely to be introduced into Germany in the beginning of July 2020, at the latest (Sauter‐Louis et al., 2021).

Specific prevention and control measures implemented during the reporting period

After the first case of ASF was detected in wild boar in Germany in September 2020, it was obvious that the successful control measures from Czechia and Belgium were used as orientation for the German control strategy with the aim of preventing further spread of the disease. Therefore, the first control measures focused on defining affected areas, intensifying the search for carcasses and fencing the areas at risks. However, in contrast with Czechia and Belgium, where ASF was locally introduced in a single event, Germany faces a constant infection pressure along the border with the affected region in Poland and the disease has not only been introduced at one point, but in several locations along the border with Germany and on several occasions. Nevertheless, the control measures applied are like those in Belgium and Czechia, including setting up restriction zones, erecting fences (mobile electric fences first, later replaced with solid fences) around the core areas, carcass search (using humans, specially trained dogs, drones, helicopters) and removal of these carcasses as well as reduction of wild boar population around the affected areas.