Growth in cattle brucellosis outbreaks in Tatarstan

Tatarstan remains unfavourable due to brucellosis

In Tatarstan, an increase in brucellosis has been recorded over the past two years. If in 2015-2022 isolated cases were observed only among people, then in 2023 22 people were registered, and by 1 December 2024 — 7 people. The outbreak of the disease among cattle has increased: two outbreaks (1,271 head of cattle sick with brucellosis) in 2023 to four outbreaks (51 head of cattle, brucellosis patients) as of early December 2024. This was reported at a meeting in the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan.

In total, two outbreaks were identified in 2023ю This year, there were identified four outbreaks.

In all outbreaks, animals were sent to industrial processing, where people were vaccinated against brucellosis.

In the region, 29 cases of occupational infection of workers from sick animals were recorded.

The main causes of infection are the lack of regular medical examinations and laboratory tests of employees for brucellosis, work without personal protective equipment, as well as insufficient living conditions and conditions for personal hygiene.

In response to the current situation, more than 1,100 orders were issued to livestock organisations. Analysis of their implementation is ongoing. At present, the orders remain unfulfilled in several districts:

10 farms in Kamskoye Ustye, nine in Kaibitsy, six in Zelenodolsk and three in Verkhny Uslon.

The last case of brucellosis was recorded in Rybnaya Sloboda District at the individual entrepreneur Khabibullina where 116 head of cattle were identified at the time of the inspection. In July, an order was issued for the examination of employees, which was not executed. As a result of a claim for coercion to comply with the order, the employees were examined, which led to the detection of brucellosis in four employees and 22 head of cattle. The activities of the individual entrepreneur were suspended for 60 days. Milk from the infected farm was sent for processing to Yelmay Agricultural Production and Processing Plant in Vysokaya Gora district, which led to the suspension of the sale of 977 kg of dairy products, including butter, cheese and whey. Let us recall that a quarantine was introduced in the village of Bikchurayevo after brucellosis was detected on a local farm. The disease was detected as a result of routine tests, and now the entire village livestock is at risk. The farm is closed, and all access roads to it are fenced off.

“We definitely have an unauthorised import of cattle. There can be no other source”

An outbreak of brucellosis was registered in the middle of last year in the Novosheshmins District of Tatarstan. The cause was the import of cattle without accompanying documents from an unfavourable region, said Almaz Khisamutdinov, head of the Main Veterinary Department of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic.

“Our republic is free of brucellosis. We have not had brucellosis since 1995. This is the first case. We definitely have an unauthorised import of cattle. There can be no other source, he said, and said that the entire farm's livestock had been slaughtered.”

In November, a large outbreak of brucellosis was discovered in the leading milk-producing agrofirm Tukayevsky in Atna District of Tatarstan. At that time, there were more than 5,000 head of cattle there.

A month later, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Marat Zyabbarov said that due to the threat of the spread of cattle brucellosis, Tatarstan farms would go into closed mode of operation. This includes a sanitary pass for staff and visitors, disinfection barriers for treating transport, and complete fencing of the territory along the perimeter.