Date: 8 Feb 2006
Source: OIE Disease Alert
Foot and mouth disease in Argentina
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Date of previous outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Argentina reported to the OIE: August 2003).
Translation of information received on 8 Feb 2006 from Dr. Jorge Nestor Amaya, President, National Agrifood Health and Quality Service (SENASA), Secretariat for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food, Buenos Aires:
Report date: 8 Feb 2006.
An outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus serotype O was reported in extensively farmed livestock (establishment with a surface area of 6000 hectares) in San Luis del Palmar, province of Corrientes (27o 30' 24.2" S - 58o 22' 59.6" W).
Date of 1st confirmation of the event: 8 Feb 2006.
Date of start of the event: 5 Feb 2006. This is the date of the official intervention after notification was received. Judging by observations at the farm (lesions and clinical signs) and by the preliminary investigations (anamnesis), the event probably started on 26 Jan 2006.
Total number of susceptible animals in the outbreak: 3012 head of cattle, 30 sheep and 25 goats.
Total number of cases: 70 head of cattle.
Total number of deaths: 0.
Source of outbreak or origin of infection: unknown or inconclusive.
The corresponding epidemiological investigations are being carried out, with tracing, inspection and sampling of farms with which there have been animal movements, in order to investigate the origin and probable spread.
Control measures
A. Undertaken:
- quarantine;
- movement control inside the country;
- vaccination using inactivated oil vaccine (polyvalent serotypes O, A and C) (Note: As the 1st FMD vaccination campaign of 2006 in the province of Corrientes started on 1 Feb 2006, priority will be given to the affected area, primarily by vaccinating all susceptible species in the perifocal area);
- disinfection of infected premises/establishment.
B. To be undertaken:
- stamping out;
- screening;
- zoning.
[San Luis del Palmar is about 200 km east southeast of Corrientes in the northeast of Argentina. Obviously, there are questions about how it got there from Brazil, as that is the most likely source. Clearly though, the most important issue is how to stamp this outbreak out before a very costly vaccination campaign is again necessary.]
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Country and date: Argentina.; 8 Feb 2006
Type: Official
Issue: Follow-up: outbreak reported in Corrientes
Summary: FMD was suspected and reported by a private veterinarian last Sat 4 Feb 2006 in a herd located in San Luis county, Corrientes province, in the northeastern region of the country. There were 3067 susceptible in the herd, and 70 of them showed FMD-like clinical signs. All the affected animals were Bradford cattle between 18 and 24 months old.
The herd was inspected by official veterinarians on Sunday and Monday [5-6 Feb 2006], and all movements from herds in San Luis county to the rest of the country were banned. Neighboring herds were inspected by the veterinary service, and suspects of FMD were not found. Today [8 Feb 2006], the national reference laboratory confirmed the infection by FMD virus serotype O. All the movements in the region will be traced back in an attempt to detect the origin of the infection. Official notification was submitted to OIE, neighboring countries, and regions and countries that keep a commercial relation with Argentina. The vaccination campaign, which started in February 2006 in Corrientes, will be accelerated, and the animals in the herd will be sacrificed.
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[This is an interesting disease pattern when one considers that San Luis del Palmar is about 200 km east by southeast of Corrientes in the northeastern region of Argentina.
How the disease arrived there can only be speculated upon at this point. Clearly, it was animal movement or movement of a contaminated product, maybe someone taking the disease home on dirty boots.
Perhaps it came in on a riverboat.
After the recent OIE announcement that Argentina was at last FMD-free, this is indeed a terrible blow].