A new outbreak of sheep and goat pox has emerged in Rodopi, specifically at a livestock farm in the Municipality of Maroneia-Sapes, resulting in the culling of another 200 animals.
This development prompted veterinary services to rush to disinfect rural roads within a three-kilometer radius of the farm, a measure that will be repeated in ten days.
The resurgence of the disease is a concern for the relevant authorities and livestock farmers, as it represents a setback; as Nikos Fotinias, Head of Veterinary Services for the Region of Eastern Macedonia–Thrace, noted in an interview with ERT, Nikos Fotinias, stated in an interview with ERT, while no cases had been reported in the region for nearly three months and another “clean” quarter was still needed to initiate the procedures for rebuilding the livestock herds of affected producers, now the clock has been reset and is counting from the beginning, with the goal of six months without a case. In fact, this specific measure, which applies to the wider area within a twenty-kilometer radius of the affected farm—given its geographical location—is not limited to the Regional Unit of Rodopi but also extends to part of Evros.
Since August 2024, when the outbreak began in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Rodopi has recorded 187 outbreaks and 47,751 animal culls, while across the AM-TH Region, the total number of cases stands at 880 and the number of animals culled at 163,000.
However, over the past two and a half months, the Regional Units of Evros, Xanthi, and Kavala have remained “free” of the disease.