After warning about the appearance of brucellosis in humans at the beginning of the month, the City Veterinary Inspection in Bijeljina is once again sampling farms in Semberija.
Experts point out that this disease has been sporadically present in the RS for decades, but that caution is necessary, he reports BHRT.
Several households in Semberija are in the process of inspection. After Bijeljina doctors determined the presence of brucellosis in one person at the beginning of May, extensive controls were launched to determine the source of the infection and bring the disease under control.
“We received information this morning that the other household members were also tested, there is no confirmation of new cases of brucellosis and we currently have no positive findings on the other properties. The property has been placed under veterinary supervision until the status of the herd is determined. Nearby households suspected of having come into contact with the infected property have also been checked,” said Bojan Bašić, city veterinary inspector in Bijeljina.
Brucellosis is a dangerous infectious disease that affects sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and dogs, but it also poses a serious risk to humans, as it is a zoonosis, say veterinarians.
“People are most often infected by acquiring animals that are infected or animals that are on the property. It is also possible for dogs to transfer the placenta, in people who have not taken care of it properly, abortions of lambs occur most often, these are the most common ways of transmission,” said Srđan Pantić, doctor of veterinary medicine.
Producer caution is necessary, but there is no reason to panic, say the Veterinary Institute “Dr Vaso Butozan”.
“Brucellosis has existed in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the last 30 years, it appears sporadically in different places. These cases are not a surprise for us in the profession, but at the same time it is important to talk about this because of the message to all farmers to behave responsibly when it comes to managing and acquiring new animals”, concluded Dragan Knežević, director of the Veterinary Institute “Dr. Vaso Butozan”.
Experts appeal to producers that the main prevention is vaccination, but also animal marking. Vaccination, as they point out, prevents the further spread of the disease and breaks the disease chain, while animal marking enables greater control, as well as compensation for damages in case the disease appears.
