MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil confirms another ten FAM outbreaks

Brazil confirmed the existence of ten new outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, FAM, but concentrated in a county of the state of Matto Grosso do Sul where the epidemic started in early October.

Jorge Caetano head of the Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Health department confirmed that the new outbreaks are all in Eldorado, an area under quarantine surrounded by a sanitary ring with military support.

"We have clinic and epidemiologic diagnosis confirming FAM but it's in the area already under surveillance. It's senseless to say that they are different from the outbreaks originally detected", argued Mr. Caetano. The new cases have been reported in the Japora county neighboring with Eldorado.

The area which Brazilian sanitary officials have defined as "tampon" covers 25 square kilometres and has been clearly marked since early October. An estimated 20.000 head of cattle are in the area, of which 1.900 have already been sacrificed.

The Livestock Health Department and Matto Grosso do Sul officials are assessing how many more animals have to be sacrificed to prevent further contagion and "equally important to define how we are going to compensate farmers", said Mr. Caetano.

Brazil which was the world's leading beef exporter last year with 2.4 billion US dollars is now facing a ban from almost fifty countries, following the FAM reports.

Originally Matto Grosso do Sul reported eleven outbreaks plus an additional four in Parana which still have to be confirmed.