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The first affected farm, located in Bliznak, is situated within the 10 km watch zone established as a protective measure after discovering the last source declared on March 25th. The census of the farm was 70 buffalo, 40 goats and 22 sheep.
With respect to the tenth case, the affected farm is located just two miles from the last outbreak reported in Bliznak (Burgas). The source was detected thanks to the watch zone and blood tests introduced on the farm due to its location within the 10 km watch zone which was set up as a protection measure after the last source was detected.
In both cases, none of the animals presented symptoms of the disease despite the fact that blood tests confirm having been in contact with the foot and mouth disease virus. The origin of these two new sources is not clear, although the epidemiological research has demonstrated that the affected buffalos were grazing in an area located only 5 km from the Turkish border.
The origins of this second epidemic wave which started at the beginning of March are still being investigated. The Bulgarian authorities are pointing to a new contagion through infected wild boars coming from Turkey. This theory is backed by results from molecular research carried out at the Pirbright Foot and Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory (UK) which shows there doesn’t seem to be a direct link between the sources detected in March and those at the beginning of the epidemic.
http://rasve.mapa.es/Publica/Noticias/Noticias.asp
