Preliminary information has shown that the outbreak, in the village of Veden, has resulted in four people being hospitalised, while the meat of infected animals could have been consumed by another 80 people.
According to Sokhotskii the anthrax outbreak is dangerous because it left sporules, which can lead to infection in other animals. “We buried the animals, but now rain is washing away the soil, and while cows graze in the pastures, they can eat these sporules and get sick as a result,” said Sokhotskii. “There have been previous cases of anthrax registered in Moldova, but rarely.”
He stressed that all necessary measures to fight any spread of the infection had already taken place. “Everything was burned, along with a refrigerator in the presence of the police and local authorities. The farm where the outbreak was reported has been disinfected,” he said.
However, veterinary services cannot completely exclude the possibility of a further spread of the epidemic, say local experts. Since the first announcement of the outbreak last week, sales of beef in a large part of Moldova decreased dramatically.
“People have decided to temporarily refrain from buying meat. Local beef sales decreased by half and sales of all other types of other meat were also affected slightly. The veterinary services have assured us that everything is under control, but last week two people were infected, and now there are four – and there is no guarantee that this number will not grow,” said local seller Nicola Aletski.