In February 2024, something that, in general, could have been expected, happened: nodular dermatitis came to the Irkutsk region. It affects cattle. This infection is one of the main threats to Russian agriculture. African swine fever has already happened once in the Baikal region, and we managed to cope with it. Now here’s dermatitis, which is also called contagious nodular dermatitis (LPD).
To make matters worse, the disease is highly contagious. Everyone carries it from farm to farm, from people to dogs and blood-sucking insects (yes, the problem of stray animals has now taken on special colors). In addition to cattle, sheep are also affected. The infection also affects the condition of pigs, although not as destructively as is the case with cattle.
As a matter of fact, the Irkutsk region has already become convinced of the contagiousness: the infection was brought in on February 11 with sheep purchased in Buryatia by a farmer from the Usolsky district. He couldn’t drive the truck to his farm and left the animals for a couple of days at a colleague’s farm…
According to data as of February 18, 11 foci of nodular dermatitis have already been recorded in the region in three districts of the region – Usolsky, Cheremkhovsky and Irkutsk (Ust-Kuda and Goryashina). They set up checkpoints there to prevent citizens from exporting agricultural products.
Let us add that in Buryatia, that is, among its neighbors, this disease was recorded back in 2022. But, apparently, the chief veterinarian of the Irkutsk region Sergey Shevchenko and her Minister of Agriculture Ilya Sumarokov were not aware.
Ilya SumarokovAfter all, unlike swine fever, nodular dermatitis is VACCINED! Not to mention, many could insure their livestock.
Sergey ShevchenkoNow, judging by the actions of the above-mentioned departments, they rushed to administer vaccinations in conditions of an infection spreading like wildfire. One animal infects an entire herd in a matter of days.
But it takes time to develop immunity. Not to mention the time it takes to organize the mass vaccination process.
Citizens, by the way, are already complaining that for some reason experts are avoiding voicing the name of the vaccine (and there are several drugs).
And in the village of Biliktuy, Usolsky district, with about a hundred head of livestock, let’s say, there is no veterinarian at all, the station was plundered for firewood.
And in Cheremkhovo Grishevo, vaccination was announced “according to plan,” but the livestock owners never received it. The head of the local animal disease control station could not be reached at the announced number. There are many similar complaints. Most likely, the veterinary service simply does not have enough people. At that time, from the standard veterinary service staff of a thousand people, the shortage in the region grew from 50 to 200 specialists. And these are, first of all, doctors and paramedics.
We should also look at Khakassia, where they carry out universal vaccination of cattle.
Why was this issue not considered in the Irkutsk region in advance? In September 2023, the regional veterinary service blissfully reported that everything was calm in Baghdad:
Yes, why? When have outbreaks of dermatitis already been registered in Siberia? After all, there was a head start on time, and they squandered it. In the tg channel of the regional veterinary service, the word “dermatitis” does not appear at all until September 2023.
It remains to be seen what the vaccine supply situation is like.
What can I say, after the emergence of the infection, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Veterinary Service were not even able to stop the panic about the danger to people in time.
Judging by media reports, it was the governor who had to reassure citizens that nodular dermatitis, in principle, is not transmitted to humans. Yes, this infection does not threaten human health.
Threatens the economy. The economy of both large enterprises and personal farms.
The epizootic situation (that is, with animal diseases) under the predecessor of the chief veterinarian of the Baikal region Sergei Shevchenko, Boris Balyberdin (with all the corrupt arts of Boris Nikolaevich) was strictly monitored! In terms of the quality of control over infectious diseases, the Irkutsk region was among the top three in the country. Therefore, it was possible to quickly eliminate the outbreak of swine fever in 2016.
Shevchenko doesn’t know how to do this in principle. All his activities come down to the “whatever happens” system. But dermatitis cannot be hidden… Babr warned more than once or twice: there should be no random people on such a front as the veterinary service. And even more so people like Mr. Shevchenko. The epidemic is even worse than corruption…
It got to the point where the owners of agricultural enterprises began to regulate the dissemination of information. As they can.
So, at first the following leaflet appeared on social networks (despite the fact that the Usolsky Pig Farm did not officially declare anything):
That is, it is clear that the pig farm is in this way trying to protect itself from the introduction of the pathogen into its territory by the forces of its own employees. But many citizens considered that Belorechensky’s products were dangerous for people to eat. Accordingly, in response they issued their own proclamation in Belorechensky:
A separate question is why this enterprise did not vaccinate the livestock in advance, since it is necessary to completely destroy the livestock of one of the farms.
The population is still not really informed. Of particular concern is the painful issue of compensation for livestock seized for destruction. As follows from the video message from the head of the Belsky municipality, where the disease first appeared, the mechanism is only being “worked out”…
True, preliminary calculations were announced on February 18. For a kilogram of live weight they are thinking of paying 195 rubles (cattle), 210 rubles (small cattle) and 175 rubles (pigs).
