The livestock market in Atyrau was placed under quarantine after anthrax bacteria were found in the carcass of a dead animal.
According to ORDA, on 12 November one of the market workers noticed a suspicious cow carcass that had been brought from the West Kazakhstan Region. It was only four days later that veterinary services took tissue samples and sent them for laboratory testing. The market was then officially closed.
"If the disease really exists, then why are the animals nearby still alive? Why hasn't anyone fallen ill? Certificates are issued, but why isn't a proper inspection carried out? What is our fault?" — questions entrepreneur Aidos Saifedenov.
Veterinarians confirmed the anthrax infection, and the animal's carcass was incinerated. It is reported that there are currently 56 head of cattle, 79 sheep and goats, and 7 horses at the market. All animals are undergoing checks.
"The market is already closed. Full vaccination of the animals is being carried out, and they will be kept under observation for 14 days. Then disinfection will be carried out. The quarantine does not apply to the city. No new cases have been detected elsewhere," — reported the head of the territorial inspectorate of the committee for veterinary control and supervision, Nurken Bayarov.
It is noted that in Atyrau, five more large livestock markets are planned to be disinfected in the near future.
Recall that in August, due to an outbreak of anthrax in cattle, quarantine was introduced in the village of Pririyechnoe in the Denisovsky district of the Kostanay region. Furthermore, there were rumours that the meat of livestock that died during the floods was allegedly being ground into mince and sold in various catering outlets and markets. The Ministry of Agriculture refuted this information.
At the beginning of September, in the rural district of Ulken Aksu in the Uygur district of the Almaty region, quarantine was introduced due to an outbreak of anthrax. The district recorded four suspected cases of infection. The preliminary cause of the illness was the involvement of local residents in the slaughter of a sick animal. Later, the number of infected individuals rose to 15 people.
Incidentally, back in spring, the editorial board of FBRK suggested that livestock burial sites flooded during the floods could pose a significant threat to Kazakh citizens. In this regard, we requested data from the Ministry of Agriculture on how many anthrax burial sites were flooded during the floods.
At that time, the department reported that across Kazakhstan there were a total of 10 flooded anthrax burial sites, noting that laboratory tests of samples from these sites gave negative results and that there was no threat of an epidemic.
Later, the Ministry of Agriculture stated that as a result of the floods, 12 anthrax burial sites had been inundated. This number included 3 burial sites in Aktobe and the West Kazakhstan Region, and 6 burial sites in the North Kazakhstan Region.
The Ministry, as before, assured there was no threat of an epidemic and noted that it was monitoring the epizootic situation in the country. The department then reported that active vaccination of animals against particularly dangerous diseases was being carried out in the regions.
It should be noted that in March 2015, Gulmira Isayeva, then Vice Minister of Agriculture, announced that over the following 7 years, the state planned to allocate 2.5 billion euros for the development of livestock farming. Of this amount, as Isayeva then emphasised, 2 billion euros would be directed towards strengthening veterinary and phytosanitary safety.