Unravelling the dispersal dynamics and ecological drivers of the African swine fever outbreak in Belgium

peer reviewedAfrican swine fever is a devastating disease of domestic pigs and wild boars caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV). ASFV originates from sub-Saharan African countries. In the last 10 years, the virus left its endemic range to spread to eastern Europe and Russia. On September 2018, Belgian authorities reported that ASFV had been detected in two wild boars in a southern area of the country. One year later, no domestic pig has been infected, with the last ASFV-positive wild boar being confirmed in mid-August 2019, suggesting that the outbreak is now controlled. However, the dispersal dynamics as well as the specific impact of ecological factors and intervention measures on the outbreak remain unknown