Takac: Measures against Foot-and-mouth Might Be Relaxed at Start of May

Bratislava, April 23 (TASR) - The measures introduced in Slovakia to prevent foot-and-mouth disease from spreading could be relaxed in the first ten days of May, around May 7 or 10, said Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) following the cabinet session on Wednesday. "As we can see, the [stated] incubation period of foot-and-mouth disease of seven to 14 days is probably not correct, the incubation period is probably much longer. This has been seen in Hungary, where a new outbreak has emerged after 20 days. The Slovak State Veterinary and Food Administration director is talking about May 7 or 10 as roughly the date on which we could start relaxing the measures," said Takac. According to the minister, the easing of veterinary measures could start in eastern Slovakia, which hasn't yet been affected by foot-and-mouth disease; for example, by opening zoos. "However, we are definitely not yet at the stage to ease the measures, everyone must adhere to them," added Takac. ko/df