Slovak cows from the herd infected with anthrax have not been brought to Poland, there is no need to take extraordinary measures – Chief Veterinary Officer Janusz Związek told PAP on Tuesday. On Monday, cases of infection were confirmed in eastern Slovakia.
As he explained, on Tuesday he had already spoken to his Slovak counterpart, who assured him that from September 9, i.e. 30 days before the disease was detected, no animals from the farm in Staszkovce in the Stropkov district had reached Poland. I am still waiting for the official letter with this confirmation – added the Association.
Cows suffering from anthrax were detected on Monday on a farm in Staszkovce in the Stropkov district in eastern Slovakia near the Polish border. Slovak public radio reported on Monday that three cows from the farm were sold to Poland.
As emphasized by the Association, everything indicates that the source of the disease were the spores of anthrax bacteria washed out by rains from the old burial ground – the place where the bodies of animals suffering from anthrax were once buried. There have been heavy rains recently in the area – noted the Chief Veterinary Officer.
He recalled that two years ago the Slovaks had already dealt with anthrax in animals in this area. It was then established that the source of the infection was an old burial ground, located on a slope where cows grazed – explained the Association.
The Chief Veterinary Officer noted that anthrax is a local disease, it is caused by a bacterium, not a virus, and therefore there is no risk of it spreading over a larger area. While in Slovakia, one should be careful – he added.
As the head of the regional veterinary office in Svidnik in Slovakia said on Monday, the bacterium has killed four cows from the farm, the remaining cows are being vaccinated, but there is no epidemic. However, the sale of meat and milk from infected farms is prohibited throughout the region. The farm has been closed. The quarantine will last 30 days. The Slovak Ministry of Economy assured that the meat of contaminated cows did not enter the commercial network.
Anthrax is a disease that affects cattle, horses and sheep. From animals, anthrax can spread to humans. Infection in humans usually occurs through the consumption of meat from fallen animals. The disease is often fatal (PAP)
wkr/ amac/ ura/ mrt/