SWINE DISEASE OUTBREAK ‘UNDER CONTROL’
By Shakeh Avoyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 5 2007
A senior government official assured the public on Wednesday that the
outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) registered in northern Armenia
last month is "under control" despite having reached Yerevan.
The disease, which mainly affects pigs, was first detected in a
village near the Georgian border on August 7 before spreading to
six other rural communities in the Lori and Tavush regions. Armenian
veterinary authorities say it was the cause of mass deaths of pigs
reported by local farmers.
The Agriculture Ministry quarantined those communities late last
month, ordering a mandatory cull of all pigs. Police and veterinary
services set up joint roadblocks outside the villages to enforce the
extraordinary measure.
According to Grigor Baghian, head of the ministry’s Food Safety
and Veterinary Inspectorate, some 1,700 animals have already been
slaughtered in the area. Armenia’s entire pig population is estimated
at between 180,00 and 220,000.
Baghian said the measures did not prevent ASF from reaching a pig
farm in Yerevan this week. But he seemed confident that the disease
outbreak will be contained, saying that his agency has already sent
out detailed instructions to farmers across the country on how to
detect and prevent the virus. "Rest assured that the situation is
under control," he told a news conference.
Baghian also emphasized the fact that ASF does not affect other
domestic animals and humans. "As far as human beings are concerned,
there is nothing to be worried about," he said. "People won’t be
infected by this disease."
Despite such assurances, sales of pork have visibly decreased in
Yerevan over the past week. Pork prices have also dropped as a result.
Baghian admitted that Armenian veterinary experts lack detailed
knowledge of the disease, which rarely occurs outside Africa and has
not been reported in the South Caucasus before. He said they need
the assistance of their Western colleagues and want to send virus
samples to a specialized laboratory in Britain for that purpose.
"Unfortunately, our airport is not prepared to handle such a shipment
right now," he added.
Baghian also reiterated his agency’s belief that the disease spilled
into Armenia from Georgia where an ASF outbreak occurred on a larger
scale earlier this summer. Tens of thousands of pigs died or were
culled there as a result.