African swine fever might already be present in Bosnia but has not been diagnosed yet, chief of the Veterinary Chamber in Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity Sasa Boskovic told N1, adding that the regions near the border with Serbia, where the disease was diagnosed, are threatened the most.

“We can absolutely expect this disease to appear here, to be diagnosed. We can suspect it already exists but it has not been diagnosed yet,” said Boskovic.

Serbian authorities confirmed last week the African swine fever cases in three villages.

A press release by the Agriculture Ministry said that a lab in Madrid confirmed the presence of the virus and added that the affected areas were placed under quarantine.

A lab in the northern Bosnian city of Banja Luka could also make a diagnosis but, like in Serbia, which had to have it confirmed in Spain, it would be necessary to have a confirmation of a reference lab in Europe.

“There’s no need for panic but we have to be cautious. There are 400-500 thousand of swine in RS, you can imagine what kind of economic damage this disease could cause,” said Boskovic.