The academic community is concerned about the issue of illegal sheeppox vaccines trafficking in our country, especially after the latest incident, where a 60-year-old man tried to illegally smuggle over a thousand sheeppox vaccines into Greece.

In the subsequent investigation by the prosecuting authorities, it was even established that he would in all probability deliver them to a veterinarian. According to information, he had received them from Caesarea Turkeyinside a special styrofoam case.

“A vaccine, in general, helps. It is used for a specific situation. But what we are talking about comes from third world or developing countrieswhich have no other source of protein. Inevitably, instead of exterminating their animals – which is not in their best interest if they only have goats and sheep – they choose to keep them. Unlike Greece, where, although we are not rich, we have special contracts with Western Europe and other countriesas feta is a PDO product. In these countries, if you go to a supermarket, there is no cheese of Indian or Pakistani origin – these products are intended for internal consumption, so there is no problem there”, explains the professor of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases of the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) Spyridon Kritas

Speaking to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency, Professor Kritas emphasized that “the vaccine itself can carry the virus, as these are live strainswhich can transmit it to animals”.

“They are not approved, we have not checked them and they could be dangerous. They have not been tested in our environment, so they carry a high degree of risk”, he underlined, pointing out that “the problem is huge for the livestock world”.

He emphasizes that the scientific community is in a state of readiness regarding its contribution to the decisions of the competent Ministry. “We are aware of what is happening and we are ready to submit our proposals.”

Experts have repeatedly emphasized that anyone who vaccinates their animals illegally and this is found, will be led to the killing of their entire herd, while also facing other very serious penalties.

They suggest that “the only correct strategy for dealing with the problem remains the strict observance of biosecurity measures throughout the sheep farming production chain in our country”, stressing that “the misinformation of the livestock world must stop, as the attempt to solve an exclusively scientific issue with political interventions, without a scientific basis, is dangerous”.

Regarding the consumer and what reaches the table, the AUTH professor points out, speaking to APE-MPE, that there is no cause for concern. “People have no reason to worry about themselves. There is no consequence for humans, neither from the disease, nor from the vaccination. The virus is not transmissible to humans. Even without pasteurization – which inactivates viruses anyway – if someone consumes a product, they get absolutely nothing. So, people have no reason to worry.”