MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina confirms FAM outbreak in Corrientes

Argentine sanitary officials announced Wednesday strict control measures in the northeastern province of Corrientes following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

A spokesperson for the Sanitary and Food Quality Office, SENASA, confirmed that lab blood test analysis in 70 cattle belonging to a farm in San Luis del Palmar, 1.100 kilometres north of Buenos Aires had shown signs compatible with FAM disease.

SENASA reported that the 70 Bradford cattle, 18/24 months old will be sacrificed and further emergency measures have been imposed to limit the outbreak area of influence.

"All controls established by the FAM eradication program have been enforced", reported the head of SENASA, Jorge Amaya in Buenos Aires.

Primary results of the lab tests identify the FAM virus as strain "O", and the origin of the outbreak is being investigated.

SENASA added that the 3.607 cattle from the San Juan farm, where the outbreak originated, could have been in contact with the FAM virus so they have been quarantined to the area and all cattle movement in the county has been banned.

Apparently the private vet who looks after the cattle reported Saturday February 4 he suspected the existence of FAM in the farm. The following days a sanitary team from SENASA inspected the farm and took blood samples from the suspected cattle, which was confirmed early this week.

Among the measures included to contain the outbreak are the decision to reinforce the vaccination campaign began February 1, track all cattle movements in the area and make the official communication to the Animal Health World Organization in Paris and to the sanitary officials of neighboring countries.

SENASA officials added they were doing their outmost to protect Argentina's status of free of FAM with vaccination and its thriving export market.

The farm with the outbreak is 30 kilometres from the border with Paraguay. Besides Paraguay the province of Corrientes neighbours with Brazil, where outbreaks of FAM were also reported in the last twelve months.

Meantime Chilean authorities banned all beef imports from Argentina following the official FAM disease outbreak release. "We're temporarily suspending the import of all animal produce from Argentina, said Claudio Ternicier who is responsible for the Animal Health Office in Chile.