Army Fulfils Assistance Tasks Related to Elimination of Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Bratislava, March 25 (TASR) - Slovakia's armed forces are providing assistance related to tackling the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, the Slovak army's spokesman Stefan Zemanovic told TASR on Tuesday, adding that they're doing so based on requests from the State Veterinary Administration. "Following a detailed geological survey, the activities in question are being carried out at a selected garrison training area with the Environment Ministry's consent. Official vets are on site all the time to ensure that all necessary measures are followed to prevent the further spread of the infection," said Zemanovic. The presence of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed at livestock farms in three villages in southern Slovakia - Medvedov, Narad and Baka. The disease probably reached Slovakia from Hungary. A state of emergency has been in place in the district of Dunajska Streda since Friday (March 21) evening. Foot-and-mouth is a serious, highly contagious and febrile viral disease among livestock with significant economic impacts. ko/df