Armenia Reports Foot-And-Mouth Disease Outbreak

7/20/2006
Cattlenetwork.com

MOSCOW (Dow Jones)--Armenia's agriculture ministry reported Thursday an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in two villages in the Shirak region of the country.

The ministry said 17 cattle had died in the village of Panik and three cattle died in the village of Maly Mantash. Local veterinary services have imposed quarantine restrictions on the locations and are disinfecting the animals there.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly communicable viral disease of cattle and swine. It also affects sheep, goats, deer, and other cloven-hoofed ruminants.

Many affected animals recover, but the disease leaves them debilitated and it can cause severe reductions in meat and milk production. Because it spreads widely and rapidly and has grave economic and clinical consequences, foot-and-mouth is one of the animal diseases that livestock owners dread most.

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