The South Aegean Region's Primary Sector Directorates for the Dodecanese and the Cyclades informed the public, particularly livestock farmers and people who had recently visited Turkey, that Turkey had reported outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease across almost its entire territory in recent weeks. Affected areas included Izmir and Fethiye.
The announcement also noted that, earlier in December, cases had been confirmed on cattle farms in the occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus, near Famagusta.
The regional veterinary announcement stressed that the disease is not transmitted to humans, but that people can readily carry the virus responsible for it.
For that reason, it urged livestock farmers to apply strict biosecurity measures on their holdings and exercise particular caution when receiving visitors.
Anyone who had recently visited Turkey and had contact with farm animals was advised not to come into contact with animals in Greece before observing strict biosecurity measures. Travellers were also told not to bring animal feed from Turkey themselves.
What the regional announcement says about the disease
Foot-and-mouth disease, or FMD, is an acute, highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.
It is characterised by blisters, erosions and ulcers inside the mouth and on the nose, teats and feet. Mortality is low in adult animals but high among young animals.
The disease has serious direct and indirect economic consequences, arising from reduced productivity, deaths, restrictions on trade in live animals and animal products, and the high cost of control and eradication measures, including veterinary services, culling, compensation and surveillance.
The virus can withstand normal environmental conditions and spread readily, both directly between animals and indirectly through people, machinery, equipment, feed and foods of animal origin, such as fresh meat, meat preparations, cured meats and dairy products.
The appearance of a disease such as FMD in an area automatically entails very strict measures. These directly affect livestock farming and trade in almost all related goods, including live animals, meat, milk, animal by-products and feed.
At the time of the announcement, the Region's veterinary services were carrying out disease surveillance programmes and had not detected any cases.
The original notice referred readers to Ministry of Rural Development information on the disease, its clinical signs and transmission. Further information was available from local veterinary services.
The announcement was signed by Deputy Regional Governor Filimon Zannetidis.
Ministry information on clinical signs: https://www.minagric.gr/images/stories/docs/agrotis/booeidi/2020/afisa1_kliniki080825.pdf
Ministry information on transmission: https://www.minagric.gr/images/stories/docs/agrotis/booeidi/2020/afisa2_metadosh080825.pdf
