More than 100 veterinarians have been send to Central Greece to conduct health checks to sheep and goat as a serious outbreak of highly contagious of ovine rinderpest or cattle pest, a virus infecting sheep and goats.
At the same time, the Regional Governor of Thessaly has ordered the closure of slaughterhouses until Friday, July 26, and urged for disinfection of the slaughterhouses and the trucks carrying the flocks.
The first infection cases were reported by breeders on July 11 and over 3,000 animals have been reportedly slaughtered so far, in units in Domenikos Elassonas and Meteora Trikala.
According to the operational protocols in Greece, if one animal is found infected the whole flock has to be slaughtered.
The outbreak of the rinderpest is threatening to decimate livestock farmers’ sheep and goat flocks in Thessaly, a region that suffered from the extermination of thousands of animals due to the massive floods caused by storm Daniel last September. Majority of local breeders had to replace their flocks of sheep and goats.
It is thought that the outbreak may have started from sheep and goats purchased by a local company from Turkey where ovine rinderpest is endemic. According to media reports, the animals were sold without a proper health certificate. State broadcaster ERT reported earlier on Monday that infected animals may have been imported from Romania.
“No risk for public health”
Rural Development & Food Minister Kostas Tsiaras reassured the public that the virus infection is not transmitted to humans and that they can consume milk and meat provided they are double pasteurized and well cooked respectively.
“There is no risk to public health from the plague of small ruminants”, said the Minister Kostas Tsiaras said in a press conference over the weekend and clarified that the disease concerns only goats and sheep and in no case is it transmitted to other species of animals.
Measures implemented, sampling continues
Measures implemented immediately according to EU and Greek protocols are:
- Measures in the infected farm (killing and sanitary burial of the animals)
- Demarcation of Protection and Surveillance zones around the infected farm.
- Measures in the above zones.
- Measures in the Regional Unit where the case was detected. -
- Conducting epidemiological research.
State broadcasted ERT added that no animal transport is allowed and trucks transporting milk are being disinfected.
“As soon as the first case was detected, the Region’s services drew up a plan for epidemiological surveillance, which is the key to being able to understand where the disease has been transferred. Today they are taking samples from the corrals around the place where the case was detected yesterday. In the small zone of three km there are about 60 units and 13,500 animals,” Regional Governor Dimitris Kouretas stressed.
He added that samples are being sent to special laboratories in Athens, expressing hope that first results are expected Monday noon.
“By next Friday, inspections will be finished in both of the affected zones,” he underlined.
Both the representatives of the veterinary services and the representatives of the university community emphasized to the breeders that the milk, after undergoing heat treatment of high pasteurization, is absolutely safe for direct human consumption and processing. And meat can be eaten only after heat treatment.
It should be noted that Elassona is famous for its cheeses.
The Minister promised to compensate breeders once the magnitude of the problem is complete.
So just to clarify, your comparing some badly trained people, who are attempting to avoid an agricultural disaster,where potentially all sheep in Greece are destroyed with
Pol pot or Damien from the Omen.
Wow I need to live your life , and narrow my geopolitical concerns and creat a microcosm 10 foot by 11 and try to get some sleep at night.