Greece: Dozens of animals became ill
The agriculture ministry said infected animals were also detected in the region of Larissa, the capital of Thessaly, and near Corinth in the Peloponnese, further south.
Another case also occurred in the Athens region. This means that the number of sick animals reaches a dozen or so. According to the ministry, the affected animals were slaughtered before symptoms of the disease appeared.
Veterinarians traced the routes of infection and determined that the disease came to Greece through animals brought from abroad. She did not provide more precise information about the country of origin of the disease.
Romania: 58,000 sheep slaughtered
Greece imports sheep and goats mainly from Romania, Turkey and Albania after devastating floods decimated the small ruminant herds last year.
Romania announced the outbreak on July 19, eight days after the first case was reported in Greece. Because Romania is an EU country, animal imports are not checked for diseases at the border, said Greece's deputy agriculture minister.
According to official information last week, almost 58,000 sheep and goats were slaughtered in Romania.
Pest des petits ruminants (PPR)
PPR is highly contagious in sheep and goats but is not transmissible to humans. It is also considered safe to consume meat and pasteurized milk from infected animals.
Symptoms of the disease include a bent back and a raised tail due to pain during defecation in sheep and goats suffering from PPR.
The disease mainly affects cattle, buffalos, sheep and goats. Pigs and wild ruminants are also at risk.
Typical symptoms of the disease are high fever, discharge from the nose and eyes, which may also be purulent. The animals are weakened by massive, bloody diarrhea. Many sick animals die from dehydration. Pregnant cows often have miscarriages. In cattle and buffaloes, over 90 percent infected animals die. In sheep and goats, mortality varies from case to case.
The pathogen, a virus of the Morbillivirus genus, is transmitted mainly through close, direct contact with animals or indirectly through the feces of infected animals.
More recently, the disease has emerged in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, parts of East Africa and the Middle East. The last case was recorded in Kenya in 2001.
In 2011, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) officially declared the entire world PPR-free.
