The National Service for Animal Quality and Health (Senacsa) has officially confirmed that the cattle deaths recorded in the Cerrito district were caused by bovine rabies. Laboratory results, obtained through direct immunofluorescence testing, came back positive for two analyzed animals.
Senacsa coordinator Fernando Peloso formalized the diagnosis days after producers in the region publicly denounced sudden deaths in their herds without knowing the origin of the disease. One of those affected, producer Pedro Gómez, reported that the first cases were detected about 40 days ago.
Gómez stated that the incident was reported to the Senacsa representative in Laureles, who collected blood samples, but the results were not delivered within the promised five-day timeframe. Meanwhile, the disease advanced, resulting in the death of approximately ten cows. The producer criticized the lack of a timely response from the authorities, claiming that interventions only began after the case was publicized in the press.
Following confirmation of the outbreak, the Ministry of Public Health immediately activated the epidemiological containment protocol. Teams from the Twelfth Health Region are in the area administering preventive vaccination to people who had contact with infected or suspected animals.
The director of the Twelfth Health Region, Arnaldo Espínola, emphasized that the institution has the necessary biologicals for the prevention of human rabies and that the vaccines are free of charge. He advised that anyone exposed should seek a health service within 24 hours for medical evaluation.
Producers also reported that they could not find anti-rabies vaccines for animals available in the departments of Ñeembucú and Misiones, needing to acquire the doses in Posadas, Argentina, to protect the rest of the herd.