At the moment, there is no need for a decision to vaccinate against small ruminant pox, said the Minister of Agriculture and Food Plamen Abrovski. He pointed out that the decision will be made according to the epizootic situation, when and if it requires it. According to him, vaccination is part of the measures to limit the disease, but it is not a panacea.
The minister compared the situation with last year, when, according to him, 194 outbreaks were registered, while this year there are 26. This shows a significant difference in the epizootic situation, he said.
In Petrich, where outbreaks were previously registered in several villages, the situation is currently calm. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) detected an initial outbreak of sheep and goat pox in a livestock farm in the village of Karnalovo, Petrich Municipality, Blagoevgrad Region, in early September. The farm is breeding 264 small ruminants. A signal was sent to the competent authorities after clinical signs of the disease appeared, and full cooperation was provided to the veterinary authorities, the BFSA press center reported.
A 5-kilometer protection zone has been defined around the outbreak, which includes the villages of Karnalovo, Mikhnevo, Starchevo, Ribnik, Rupite, Mitino, Kavrakirovo, General Todorov from Petrich Municipality, Blagoevgrad Region.