Sutaj Estok: Foot-and-Mouth Monitoring Centre to Be Set Up

Bratislava, April 11 (TASR) - A supervisory monitoring centre will be established in connection with foot-and-mouth disease, serving as the main command centre for the state's response to the situation, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) told a news conference on Friday, adding that there's no active outbreak of the infection in Slovakia at the moment, as the cattle at the farms where it has been confirmed have all been slaughtered. "However, there's a need to emphasise that there's still a high risk of transmission of the disease ... and it's our duty and the duty of the central crisis management team to take mainly preventive measures in order to stop this infection from spreading," said Sutaj Estok. He pointed out that the state has information about non-compliance with preventive measures, illegal animal transfers and insufficient measures. The centre should ensure that measures are complied with and the situation monitored. The police will monitor the situation from both the air and the ground. The centre will be run by representatives of the police, firefighters, the army and the Interior Ministry's Crisis Management Section. ko/df