THREAT OF AFRICAN PLAGUE PENETRATION IN ARMENIA NOT RULED OUT

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Aug 16 2007

YEREVAN, August 16. /ARKA/. Grikor Baghyan, chief of Armenian
Agriculture Ministry’s unit on veterinary and food safety, speaking
Thursday at a news conference, didn’t rule out that African plague
could come to Armenia from Georgia and infect pigs here.

The thing is that this disease was not neutralized yet.

"Drastic measures are taken in Armenia to bar the infection from
penetration in the country’s territory, but the threat still remains
as the disease is not neutralized in Georgia", Baghyan said.

He said that there are some animal diseases, such as false distemper,
with similar symptoms.

"Laboratory examinations in Armenia have found not a single case of
African plague, but revealed one case of false distemper instead",
he said.

On June 7, Armenia imposed ban on importing Georgian pork and pork
products.

Armenian State Veterinary Control Agency says 21 pigs died in Georgia
as of June 10.