Authorities have banned the movement of animals across the country and launched a culling campaign on affected farms.
Also known as peste des petits ruminants (PPR), outbreaks were first detected on July 11 in the region of Thessaly,
The virus does not infect humans, but it is highly contagious among goats and sheep and has a case fatality rate of 70%.
Authorities have announced restrictions to combat the epidemic.
The Minister of Agriculture, Kostas Tsiarashas imposed a nationwide ban on the movement of animals across the country in an effort to curb the spread of the disease.
“I announced five measures for the eradication of plague at today’s press conference. In particular, the restrictive measures on the transport and slaughter of animals, which are extended by one week..”
He also confirmed that 22 outbreaks had so far been identified in the regions of Thessaly in central Greece, one in Corinth in the Peloponnese and one in Attica.
The minister has activated two additional veterinary laboratories to analyse the samples, while an expert committee is being set up to examine how we arrived at the outbreak of the disease.
Kostas Tsiaras intends to send a letter to his EU counterparts so that the issue can be discussed at European level.
According to European guidelines, all animals in affected units must be slaughtered and the farms disinfected.
More than 11,000 animals have been culled since the first case was detected in July and around 2,000 more are expected to be culled soon.
Feta in danger?
The disease poses a major threat to Greece’s livestock sector and the production of its famous cheese. feta cheesethe cornerstone of its economy. About 40% of Greek cheese comes from sheep and goat milk produced in Thessaly, which has also undergone devastating floods Last year.
Greece produces around 140,000 tonnes of feta per year and exports around 65% of its production, playing a crucial role in the global dairy market despite its size.
