The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) found an outbreak of small ruminant smallpox in the village of Svoboden, Radnevo municipality, Stara Zagora district. The disease was detected in a livestock farm with 394 sheep.
On Thursday, October 10, 2024, a report was received from a sheep owner about a suspected disease among his animals. The official veterinarian visited the site and took samples for laboratory analysis, which were examined in the “Exotic and Particularly Dangerous Infections” Testing Laboratory at the National Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Sofia. The analysis showed a positive result for small ruminant pox.
A 3-kilometer safety zone has been defined around the outbreak, which includes the village of Svoboden, commune. Radnevo, region Stara Zagora.
A 10-kilometer monitoring zone has been defined around the outbreak, which includes the villages of Bozduganovo, Dinya, Trunkovo, Kovach, Topolyane, Tihomirovo, Znamenosets, Bulgarene, Risimanovo, Konstantinovets and Zemlen, municipality. Radnevo; the villages of Aprilovo, Velikovo and Razdelna from the commune. Galabovo; the villages of Kniazhevsko, Venets, Kravino and Pastren from the commune. Opan and the village of Strelets from the municipality. Stara Zagora, region Stara Zagora.
Measures have been taken to control and eliminate the disease, according to the rules of European and national legislation – humane killing and disposal of all infected and contact small ruminants in the site.
The disease does not pose a danger to humans, but when it spreads it causes significant economic damage.