Smallpox/Preçi: Shkodra in quarantine, checks on streets and markets

2025-06-07 13:15:00, Aktualitet CNA

In Shkodra, field and market inspections have begun by veterinary groups in collaboration with the state police after the first confirmed case in Postribë of plague of small ruminants on a farm with 18 goats.

The head of the veterinary service in the Shkodra region, Mark Preçi, states that the entire Shkodra region is in quarantine regarding small livestock, goats and sheep, preventing their movement and trade, while 6 control groups have been set up in the infected area.

" The Shkodra region has now officially been confirmed positive for the plague of small ruminants, a disease that does not affect humans but causes great damage to the growth of small animals. After the confirmation of this case, the Shkodra region has been quarantined and a 3-kilometer zone has been defined as the infected zone and a 10-kilometer zone as the surveillance zone. In the 3-kilometer zone, there are 3 control groups where daily checks of all farms are carried out, where the health status of the animals, the number of heads and all the problems that the farms have are checked ," said Preçi.

In case of evidence of the movement or trade of small livestock, control groups will block them, while farmers are invited to cooperate with the veterinary service.

" One of the measures that guarantees that this disease has the least damage is the elimination of animal movement. For this purpose, groups of veterinarians have been assigned to the main axes in cooperation with the law enforcement agencies to control the movement of mainly small animals. It is also about blocking the trade of small animals in the markets. Farmers are asked to inform the veterinary service and we are ready to help them so that the damage is as small as possible ", said Preçi.

So far, there are no other cases of plague in small livestock in Shkodra, says the head of the veterinary service...

" When we suspect a disease, we conduct animal sampling and send them to the reference laboratory, but as of June 4, we have not had any other suspected cases. Usually, when a positive case is confirmed on a farm, all the goats on that farm are eliminated, as in the specific case in Postribë where 18 goats were eliminated ," said the head of the Veterinary Service, Preçi.

According to the veterinary service, there are no other areas in the Shkodra region affected by the plague in small animals, and according to them, this disease that appeared is not threatening to human life. The measures taken are only for goats and sheep, while other livestock are allowed to be traded or moved by farmers./ CNA