MOSCOW, November 5 (RIA Novosti) — Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer protection agency, will take measures to prevent the entry of anthrax-infected beef from Germany into Russia, a press statement issued by the agency said Wednesday.
“Rospotrebnadzor has strengthened oversight over these products, and measures are being taken to prevent their entry into Russia,” the statement said.
The anthrax-infected meat was first detected after the slaughter of cows at the end of September in Slovakia. Two cases have also been said to have been found in Poland. Anthrax-infected beef products have also been found in grocery stores in Germany. Germany’s federal consumer protection office had earlier reported beef contaminated with anthrax in several supermarkets, butcher shops and wholesale businesses across Germany. Anthrax has also been discovered in foods containing beef, including roast beef, stews and sausages. Infected beef has been reported to have been exported throughout Germany and the European Union. No cases of human infection from anthrax have been reported so far.
At present, Russia has banned the import of a wide range of food products, including beef, from Germany, as it is among the countries which have imposed sanctions against Moscow.
Anthrax, a bacterial disease which can cause severe skin ulcerations and respiratory collapse, is called Siberian plague in Russia.
