African swine fever spreads further in Armenia 10 Sep 2007

Despite these alarming developments, veterinary authorities say there is little to panic about because they have the situation under control and because the disease does not affect human beings.


Security measures
Grisha Baghian, chief of an agricultural ministry's department for food and veterinary safety, said to a news conference today that they are applying all possible security measures. "We have surveillance officers as well as farmers trained to recognize the early symptoms or signs of the disease," he said, urging breeders to properly dispose off affected pigs by either burning or burying them deep.


He said the ministry experts have elaborated a plan of brief actions which envisages also compensations to pig breeders, who lost their animals. He said all markets in Yerevan and across the country are being watched by specialists to spot any instance of pork sale.

Russia bans imports
The disease has slipped into Armenia from neighboring Georgia where it has killed tens of thousands of pigs in summer. Russia banned imports of meat from Armenia on Wednesday, citing the ASF outbreak. It also restricted imports of some Armenian agricultural products for the same reason.