Published Date: 2006-02-23 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Anthrax, livestock - Russia (Chechnya, Moscow, Penza)
Archive Number: 20060223.0587

ANTHRAX, LIVESTOCK - RUSSIA (CHECHNYA, MOSCOW, PENZA)
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A ProMED-mail post
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Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 09:00:47 -0000
From: ProMED-mail<promed@promedmail.org>
Source: ITAR-TASS, Russia [edited]
<http://www.tass.ru/eng/level2.html?NewsID=3387827&PageNum=0>
<http://www.regnum.ru/news/593850.html>

A case of anthrax was detected in Chechnya's Nadterechny district, the
republic's veterinary service told Itar-Tass on Tuesday [21 Feb 2006]. "3
sheep died at a household, and tests revealed symptoms of anthrax contagion of
one of them. The woman who was tending to the sheep has undergone a medical
examination," veterinary authorities said.The Ministry of Emergency situations
of Russia local veterinary and sanitary services have taken a meat sample for
laboratory study. Later it was confirmed that they died because of anthrax.
[Separate] reports from Moscow on Monday [20 Feb 2006] said veterinary control
at the western Kuntsevo market had detected anthrax symptoms in a batch of
beef from the Penza region. City prosecutors, who opened a criminal probe,
offered assurances that "this meat was never put up for sale." The meat came
from the village of Russky Pimbur, Penza Region, and was certified safe by the
local veterinarian.
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ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Livestock anthrax is not uncommon in southern Russia, and the
control situation is only made worse by the fighting. It can be
presumed that few animals if any are being vaccinated. For some
reason anthrax field investigations are "policeman" exercises in
Russia. This has the immediate effect of shutting doors and the
provision of cover stories like: "None of our animals died. We must
have got infected when hoeing the turnips," which explains the
incidence of such soil sources of infection in official statistics
which are unique to Russia and China.
Penza is away to the east of Moscow, and Kuntsevo is a distant
western suburb of greater metropolitan Moscow, according to Google
Earth. It is also puzzling because Penza is at Latitude 56.109
[Moscow is at Latitude 55.791], which at this time of year is going
to be cold and snowy. Quite the wrong time of year to expect to see
anthrax in cattle, unless they are housed and receiving contaminated
feed of some sort, which is not impossible. Contaminated livestock
feed is an increasingly common event in Russia these days.
For maps of Chechnya and to locate Nadterechny in the NW quadrant of
the country go to:
WorldAtlas.com
<http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/chechnya.htm>
UT Austin Map Library
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/chechnya_rel01.jpg>
- Mod.MHJ]
.................................................jw/mhj/pg/jw
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