Sheep and Goat Pox Outbreak in Blagoevgrad District: 220 Animals Culled in Teshovo Village

Strict measures have been introduced to limit the spread of sheep and goat pox across the district of Blagoevgrad, the regional administration has announced. An emergency meeting of the Regional Epizootic Commission was convened following the confirmation of a primary outbreak of the disease at livestock holdings in the village of Teshovo, Hadzhidimovo Municipality (Southwestern Bulgaria).

Measures have been established to limit the spread of the disease within the district of Blagoevgrad and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring regions.

By order of the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA), a 20-kilometre surveillance zone has been established around the outbreak. It covers settlements in the municipalities of Hadzhidimovo, Sandanski, Gotse Delchev and Garmen. All 220 infected and contact sheep and goats identified at the affected holdings have been humanely culled and safely disposed of.

The Director of the Blagoevgrad Regional Food Safety Directorate, Engineer Tufcho Sandakchiev, outlined the measures and stressed that enhanced controls on animal movements and biosecurity are already in place across the region. He added that municipal mayors and owners of sheep and goats must be informed about the clinical signs of sheep and goat pox, the biosecurity measures required at livestock holdings, and their obligation to notify the relevant official veterinarian immediately if they suspect the disease or observe animal deaths.

Inspections are also being carried out to detect the illegal trade and transport of sheep and goats throughout the region. If illegal trading or movement of small ruminants is identified, the owners will face administrative penalties and the animals will be culled immediately.

Municipal epizootic commissions will also be established to introduce additional measures aimed at preventing the disease from entering and spreading within their respective municipalities.