Lajos Bognár told public television that the infected areas had grown at the end of summer, and more areas are expected to be declared infected in Jász-NagykunSzolnok and Hajdú-Bihar counties in central and eastern Hungary.

In September, the virus killed hundreds of wild boars in a fenced-off game park in Budakeszi, near Budapest, Bognár said.

Since live hogs have not yet been affected, Serbia has recently lifted a ban on unprocessed Hungarian pork, Bognár said, with a health certificate to be attached to every delivery.