STATISTICAL ASPECTS OF DATA COLLECTED FROM AFRICAN SWINE FEVER VIRUS OUTBREAK’S IN CONSTANTA COUNTY

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and deadly swine disease, causing a lot of damage to farmers and smallholder village farms, as well as pork production worldwide. Unfortunately, the disease has spread significantly in recent years and is now a major concern in many countries. ASF was first identified in a Black Sea harbour in Georgia in 2007, and since then, it has spread to the European Union (EU), including Romania. In Romania, the disease was first diagnosed in Satu Mare County in 2017 and then in Constanta County in July 2018. Since then, ASF has been reported among pig farms with generally low biosecurity and in wild boar populations. Considering the role of wild boars in the maintenance and transmission of ASF virus, the occurrence of ASF in wild boar should not be underestimated. The study involved surveillance actions carried out by official veterinarians and hunters who collected a total of 6820 samples for PCR analysis and 4248 samples were analysed using ELISA method, from 2018-2013. The data obtained from these tests were statistically analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 29.0 emphasizing the advantage of using reliable and advanced statistical tools that can lead to a better understanding and management of ASF disease. This extensive collection of data improves the robustness of the study and allows for a more thorough analysis of health trends over time. The detailed breakdown of samples collected each year on each species in which the disease was confirmed, the number of susceptible animals or showing clinical signs of the disease provides valuable information on temporal changes in ASF disease status data. The methodology and findings presented can serve as a reference for future studies that increase understanding of trends and can lay the foundations for future efforts that can influence decisions and interventions in the field.