African plague reaches Yerevan

YEREVAN, September 5. /ARKA/. The African plague which penetrated from Georgian border regions into Armenia in early August, reached Yerevan. According to Grigor Baghyan, Head of the RA State Veterinary and
Food Safety Inspection, RA Ministry of Agriculture, 53 pigs were infected in a small swine-breeding farm in Ajapnyak community.

He stated that meet products in Yerevan markets are controlled every day. Workers of the Inspection check the provenance of meet, taking into account changes in climate and anatomy. If there is any doubt, meet is eliminated, according to Baghyan. He pointed out that pork is withdrawn from Yerevan markets.

Baghyan called on the citizens to remain calm, as the African plague is harmless for the human organism. “Even in case of eating infected pork, nothing will happen, though poisoning is possible,” Baghyan said.
According to specialists, after thermal processing, meat becomes absolutely harmless for the human organism. This is why, meat products, particularly, sausages, are not banned in the market.

Despite Baghyan’s assurances of precautionary measures of preventing the plague in Armenia, certain areas are placed in quarantine and there is a risk of African plague in the country.

Georgian and Russian specialists, who came to diagnose the virus, confirmed the swine were infected.

The virus was first recorded in Dilijan city on August 7, 2007. At present, seven nidi exist in Tavoush and Lori regions. These areas have been put in quarantine, biocontrol posts being placed on the roads.
The danger zone is in the Armenian-Georgian border, where, according to the latest data, 21,000 swine were infected.

“Getting information about the burst of the African plague in Georgia, we kept a closer watch over borderline post controls by putting there a day and night duty,” Baghyan said.

According to the latest data, 1,700 infected swine are to be slaughtered in Armenia, part of them already being slaughtered. “The virus is not liable to treatment. The only way-out is to slaughter swine,” Baghyan said.

The African plague has caused damages to farmers in Lori and Tavoush. The value of the damage has not been estimated yet. However, the Inspection has introduced a program of emergency situation in connection with the African plague to the Ra Government. Compensation is provisioned by the program, according to Baghyan. “At present, the primary task is to prevent the virus, whereas compensation is the Government’s task,” he said.

According to Baghyan, the program indicates measures necessary to be undertaken in the given situation, as well as functions and activities of those responsible.

According to the administrations of Lori and Tavoush regions, commissions have been formed, members of which are specialists of the Ra State Veterinary and Food Safety Inspection, Hygiene-Epidemiologic Inspection, Rescue Service, RA National Security Service, as well as workers of both regional administrations.

According to the RA Ministry of Agriculture, the number of swine is about 180,000 in Armenia.

The swine plague or Montgomery’s disease was first recorded in South Africa in 1903.

In natural conditions, pets and wild boars are amenable to the disease. Healthy pigs get sick while contacting with infected ones. The disease can be passed through sterns, pastures, means of transport, contaminated by exerts of infected animals. Dogs, birds and beasts of prey can also be carriers of the disease. Z. Sh. –0--