What is African swine fever (ASF)?

African swine fever (ASF) is a serious, highly contagious and incurable viral infection that only affects domestic and wild pigs and almost always leads to the death of the infected pigs. There is currently no way to protect pigs through preventive vaccination. There is no danger to humans. ASF is not transmissible to humans - neither through the consumption of pork nor through direct animal contact. ASF is also harmless for domestic and farm animal species other than pigs.

What happened?

A wild boar was found south of Rüsselsheim near a country road. It tested positive for ASF. A corresponding result from the Hesse State Laboratory was confirmed on Saturday, June 15, by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health. A restriction zone has been set up in a radius of around 15 kilometers around the site of the discovery. The city of Wiesbaden is also partially located in this zone. The city of Wiesbaden has therefore taken measures.

What measures has the city taken?

With the current new general decree of September 20, 2025 in conjunction with the general decree of September 27, 2025, the total hunting ban in Restricted Zone II was relaxed - about which the hunting community is/was informed separately.

Dogs in Wiesbaden will also benefit from the new regulations. The leash requirement previously imposed due to African swine fever no longer applies in large parts: The leash requirement for dogs currently only applies on the Schiersteiner Aue.

Regulations also apply to agriculture. In Nordenstadt and Dotzheim, the recycling centers can be used again during normal opening hours. A collection point for dead wild boar has been set up at Mainzer Straße 166 in Wiesbaden. An overview of all measures can be found in the general decrees.

General information:

The ASF crisis team is currently planning three further dialog events in southern Hesse.

The events will be held in the districts of Darmstadt-Dieburg, Groß-Gerau and Bergstraße. Each event is planned to last two hours.

The dialog events are aimed at interested citizens, farmers and hunters. Interested parties from neighboring districts are also cordially invited to attend the events.

LK Darmstadt-Dieburg

October 27, 2025 (Monday) - 7 p.m.
Ober-Ramstadt town hall
Entengasse 4, 64372 Ober-Ramstadt

LK Groß-Gerau

November 3, 2025 (Monday) - 7 p.m.
District Office Groß-Gerau (Georg Büchner Hall)
Wilhelm-Seipp-Straße 4, 64521 Groß-Gerau

LK Bergstraße

November 4, 2025 (Tuesday) - 6:30 p.m.
Bürstadt community center
Rathausstraße 2, 68642 Bürstadt