Defence Ministry Bans Use of Zahorie Military Area Forests Due to Foot-and-mouth

Bratislava, March 31 (TASR) - The Defence Ministry has announced a ban on the use of forests by the public in the territory of the Zahorie Military Area, head of the ministry's press department Michal Bachraty said on Monday, adding that this is a measure to limit the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. The Defence Ministry, as the state forestry administration authority for military forests, announced the ban in response to a positive case of foot-and-mouth disease on a farm in the village of Plavecky Stvrtok (Bratislava region), which is close to the territory of this military district. The presence of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed at livestock farms in five villages in southern and western Slovakia so far: in Medvedov, Narad, Baka, Luc na Ostrove and Plavecky Stvrtok. The first three outbreaks were detected on March 21, the fourth one on March 25 and the last one on Sunday (March 30). It is a serious, highly contagious and febrile viral disease among livestock with significant economic impacts. The government has declared a state of emergency in response to the disease covering the entire territory of Slovakia. am