FMD Greece: More outbreaks on farms at Lesvos; no pig farms involved
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) continues to spread on Greece’s island Lesvos. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has confirmed 4 more outbreaks on the island – none of them on pig farms. The most recent outbreaks are located around Pelopi, a village close to the 1st outbreak on Lesvos island.
The serotype on Lesvos island has been confirmed to be SAT 1, which is the same serotype confirmed earlier this year in Cyprus. Lesvos is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea off the coast of Turkey.
The 4 new outbreaks occurred on a sheep farm, a cattle farm and a mixed sheep/cattle farm. A total of 92 animals were found infected and 1,536 sheep and cattle were susceptible. The 4 farms were:
- A sheep farm with 550 susceptible animals and 45 confirmed cases;
- A sheep farm with 350 susceptible animals and 1 confirmed cases;
- A sheep/cattle farm with 324 susceptible animals and 28 confirmed cases;
- A cattle farm with 23 susceptible animals and 9 confirmed cases.
A previous outbreak emerged on March 15 on Lesvos. On that day, a farm with both cattle and sheep got impacted.
FMD on farms in Cyprus
On Cyprus, an island elsewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, the SAT 1 strain of FDM has been circulating where authorities have been intensely working to contain the outbreak among livestock in the districts of Larnaca and Nicosia since its detection in late February. The majority of Cyprus outbreaks occurred in sheep, goat or sheep/goat farms, and all in close distance to the border with Turkish Cyprus. Turkey has more serotypes circulating, where FMD is rife.
In Cyprus no pigs, pig farms or wild boar have tested positive for FMD.
