Russian business recognizes superiority of domestic vaccines for animals over foreign ones - Dankvert

MOSCOW. Feb 7 (Interfax) - Russian business recognizes the superiority of domestic animal vaccines over imported ones, Head of Rosselkhoznadzor Sergei Dankvert said at the All-Russian Congress of Milk Producers and Processors on Wednesday in Moscow.

"For some reason it was always believed that foreign vaccines were better. And when it came to the point that we began to work effectively ourselves, things became very interesting," he said. "Two days ago I spoke with the heads of our large agricultural holdings, and they, without any pressure from me, they themselves said that, surprisingly, when comparing American vaccines and ours, ours gave better results," he said.

The general situation with the spread of animal diseases in the world is tense, he said. Specifically, a new foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype SAT-2 is spreading in Turkey and Georgia. "Of course, we quickly made a vaccine last year, but the risks associated, in part, with the movement of migrants in Europe, increase the risks we have. Of course, we will cope with these risks. There is no doubt about that," Dankvert said.

Earlier, Rosselkhoznadzor had expressed concern about the spread of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype SAT-2 (South Africa Territories 2), which is exotic for Russia, outside the African region and the subsequent registration of the first outbreaks of this disease in countries in the Middle East and Turkey. This virus shows more aggressive infectious activity compared to epizootic isolates of other foot-and-mouth disease serotypes circulating in the region, Rosselkhoznadzor said.