Foot and Mouth discovered in Paraguay
An outbreak of foot and mouth disease has been discovered in Paraguay, according to reports received by the Panamerican FMD Centre, Panaftosa, from the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture Marcus Vinicius de Moraes.
The cases were confirmed at the San Francisco ranch, Corpus Christi, in the Canindeyú district. At least 2000 cattle will be slaughtered in the ranch and in a radius of 25 km.
According to Mr. De Moraes, it was understood that the disease had been present in Paraguay since September and Brazil had closed the borders near to the suspected area as a preventative measure. With confirmation of the outbreak, control procedures have now been stepped up along the borders between the Brazilian states of Parana and Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraguay. Brazil will allow no beef imports from Paraguay until further notice.
Mr. de Moraes says the Paraguayan authorities must now inform the IEO (International Epizootia Organisation) and comply with the rules recommended by the International Animal Health Code. Brazil has offered Paraguay full help to eradicate the disease, including technical assistance, vaccine supply and laboratory tests.
In a meeting on November 4, Mr. de Moraes discussed an action plan with his Paraguayan counterpart, Mr. Dario Baungarten. Also, directors of the Animal Defence Department of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile met in order to put together measures to prevent the return of Foot and Mouth to the River Plate region, as another outbreak of the disease could prove disastrous to the local economy.
