Ovine rinderpest

Greece said on Friday that it would partially lift a ban on transporting sheep and goats that it imposed last month after goat plague was detected in the country.

Agriculture Minister Kostas Tsiaras said Thursday that authorities expect more cases of sheep and goat plague in the coming days as animals that came into contact with the virus were found to have traveled to livestock units in 11 of the country's 13 regions. 

Goat plague is the last thing Ioanna Karra needs. The Greek farmer lost nearly all her livestock and equipment in devastating flooding last year and now, as the deadly virus spreads across Greek farms, she must buy expensive disinfectant to keep her remaining animals safe.

Two outbreaks of plague peste des petits ruminants (PPR) of sheep and goats have been detected in Crete, the Creta24.gr website reports.

The detection of sheep and goat plague in Greece has highlighted the inadequacies and shortcomings in the system for monitoring live animal imports, as well as the mechanism of restrictions on sheep and goat farms.

There have been 22 confirmed cases of plague peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in Greece so far. According to current data, twenty of these cases are located in Thessaly, one in Corinth, and one in Attica.

Greece has confirmed 22 cases of rinderpest, with 20 cases detected in Thessaly, central Greece, one in Corinth, Peloponnese and one in Attica.

To date, 10,768 animals have been slaughtered, and another 2,000 are expected to be culled soon.

The first case of plague in Attica was detected in Aspropyrgos, as confirmed by the Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Christos Kellas, speaking to protothema.gr.

In response to new cases of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) detected outside Thessaly in central Greece, authorities have imposed a nationwide ban on the movement of goats and sheep for breeding, fattening and slaughter.

Over the weekend, a fresh outbreak was confirmed at a livestock unit in Mesino, within the Corinthia regional unit.

A case of ovine rinderpest has been detected in a herd of goats and sheep in Kalabaka, in Thessaly, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food has announced.

National and local disease control officials have been sent to the farm to destroy and bury the contaminated animals, to set up a protection zone around the farm and to conduct epidemiological research.