Almost 20 days after the plague of sheep and goats entered the country for the first time, veterinary authorities and the Ministry of Rural Development are trying every method to put the brakes on the transmission of the disease, which has already led to the killing of more than 10,000 animals. It is a difficult task, as the outbreaks are now spreading outside Thessaly, which witnesses that there has been a dispersion of infected animals introduced in different parts of the country.

On Sunday, and while Thessaly seemed to be doing well in terms of outbreaks, relative to the number of tests, the outbreak in Corinthia was detected in a targeted test. In a targeted control, yesterday, we had the first case in West Attica and specifically in a breeding unit in Aspropyrgos.

How to win the battle of the spread

In the last two outbreaks in Corinthia and Attica, the Thessaly model is being applied , with the two control and surveillance zones , three and 10 km respectively.

No matter how many outbreaks occur in these zones , since we are talking about controlled areas, the authorities are not worried, no matter how many animals are eventually killed.

The big gamble to “brake” the spreads is code-named “targeted controls”. These are carried out following information collected by the authorities showing the movement of infected animals within the country. This is how outbreaks were detected in Elassona , the municipality of Tempe , Falani in Larissa and of course in Corinthia and Attica . The sooner such areas are identified, the faster and more quickly and directly we will “brake” the disease . So breeders should immediately report to the authorities if the animals have symptoms, before they start to lose them.

The important question that needs answering
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The next question that needs to be answered is how many other areas the plague may have reached. This is what is “burning” and the country’s veterinary authorities are being asked to provide an answer , making targeted checks almost all over Greece. These controls have not only produced positive results , but also negative ones , making the people hunting the disease take a deep breath , as we have spared new outbreaks and consequently new control and surveillance zones. In the coming days , these controls will be intensified in order to form a more complete picture of the spread of the disease in the country.

The next day

In the ministry for the last 20 days they have been saying with intensity that “first we will fight and eradicate the disease and then we will give answers, with evidence, how the plague crept into Greece, assigning responsibility where it belongs.”

This process will obviously determine the changes that will have to be made in order for the country to be shielded against the plague the next day. It is a discussion that will take place down the line, but it is almost certainly considered to involve significant safeguards between the links in the chain of sheep and goat imports into the country.