Swine fever deaths surge in Spain amid fears of new virus strain

Spain has recorded a surge in the deadly African swine fever sweeping Catalonia as authorities bring in drones and helicopters to help contain the outbreak.

The region’s department of agriculture announced on Monday that a further 18 wild boar have died from the highly contagious disease near Cerdanyola del Valles, bringing the tally up to a total of 47.

The ministry said that the rise was due to wider testing in hard-to-reach areas, explored by air over the Christmas holidays. It emphasised that it was an “accumulation” of cases reported, and not a “sudden” spike.

Spain ramped up containment efforts in December, bringing in sniffer dogs and the military to help track the spread. More than 620 boars have been analysed in recent weeks, with around eight per cent testing positive for the virus.

Researchers believe the ‘Bellaterra’ variant could be a new mutation, after it failed to match with any samples held locally.

The local government has downplayed the theory that it could have spread from a laboratory, with agriculture minister Oscar Ordeig calling for “prudence” last week as investigations continue.

Spanish police raided a state-funded laboratory near Barcelona last month as part of one of the investigations into the origins of the outbreak, amid concerns the disease may have escaped from the facility.