Finland has detected its first case African swine fever (ASF) in wild boars close to the border with Russia, the Finnish Food Authority (FFA).
The virus was detected by a local resident in three wild boar piglets found dead close to each other in Vaalimaa, Virolahti, in the east of the country. The remains were sent to the FFA and he preliminary finding of the ASF virus was made on Thursday.
In a statement on Thursday, the authority said it was still verifying the results at the EU ASF reference laboratory in Spain.
Despite the results still being classified as preliminary, measures to limit the spread of ASF have been taken immediately.
The FFA has established a containment zone around the discovery area, which restricts the movement of kept pigs in order to determine the prevalence of the disease in wild boars and to prevent the disease from spreading to other parts of the country.