As the outbreak of ‘goat plague’ in Greece threatens feta cheese production, could it also pose a threat to humans?

Could a virus responsible for a devastating ‘goat plague’ in Greece infect feta cheese supplies and jump to humans?

There are concerns about a rapidly spreading outbreak of the deadly infection, with an estimated 14,000 infected animals already killed at the resort.

The ‘goat plague’, officially called peste des petits ruminants (PPR), can kill between one third and 100 percent of infected herds. Symptoms begin about three weeks after initial infection.

The disease is known to spread through infected tears, mucus and small droplets produced when animals cough.

The outbreak, the second of its kind ever recorded in the EU, has left Greek farmers concerned about the potential impact on feta cheese supplies.

Greek farmers deny production of country’s famous feta cheese will be affected by outbreak

But what do scientists and officials say about the potential impact on human health?

Greek farmers fighting the outbreak themselves deny that the outbreak will affect feta cheese production.

Christos Tsopanos, a senior official at the Hellenic Livestock Association (SEK), has insisted that the plague “will not jeopardize feta exports.” Producers plan to produce 120,000 tons of the cheese this year.

“Our country has 14 million goats and sheep, more than any other (EU) country,” said the Guardian reported.

“We have enough milk. The authorities have responded quickly to address this situation.”

Experts have told MailOnline that PPR is a similar virus to the one that causes measles in humans.

‘Goat plague’, technically called peste des petits ruminants (PPR), can kill one-third to 100 percent of the herds it infects, with symptoms beginning about three weeks after initial infection

However, it is “highly unlikely” the disease will infect humans, said Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia.

“The virus has been around for over a century and is mostly present in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent,” he said. “It probably originated in West Africa about 100 years ago,” he said.

‘Given that the disease has been around for so long and in environments where people and host animals are in close contact, I consider it highly unlikely that it poses a risk to humans.’

PPR was first reported in Greece on July 11 last year, in a small herd of just over 250 goats and sheep on a farm in the Thessaly region in the north of the country.

Since then, more cases have been reported, resulting in an estimated 14,000 animals being shot.

EU rules state that if a case of PPR is detected on a farm, the entire herd must be culled. Strict disinfection protocols then apply and must be carried out on the farm itself.

Greek authorities have suspended all slaughter and transport of goats and sheep amid the outbreak, raising fears of a meat shortage in the country if the disease is not brought under control soon.

Dimitris Moskos, vice-president of the Greek Livestock Association, said: “Consumers must understand that only animals can be affected by this disease.”

He added that farmers now believe PPR was brought to Greece by animals imported from Romania, which is facing its own widespread outbreak, with more than 200,000 animals already culled.

However, Greek government officials have insisted that epidemiological investigations are still ongoing.

This map from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs shows where PPR has been reported in the European region. Red dots with a black spot indicate outbreaks recorded so far this year, while sold red dots indicate earlier incidents.

PPR was first discovered in Ivory Coast, on the West African coast, in 1942. Since then, cases and outbreaks have been observed around the world.

Symptoms in goats and sheep include fever, discharge from the eyes and nose that makes it difficult to see and breathe, bad breath, and diarrhea.

Virtually all animals showing PPR symptoms die from the infection.

Although the disease can also infect other animals such as pigs and cattle, it does not cause symptoms and no cases have ever been reported in humans.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that PPR causes £1.6 billion in economic damage to the livestock industry each year.

An assessment of the Greek outbreak by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) found that the risk of PPR reaching the UK is currently ‘negligible’.

They noted that the import of live animals from Greece is currently prohibited due to a previous ban on the movement of animals after another disease, goat pox, was found in the country in October last year.

However, DEFRA officials noted that cheese and milk were still being imported from Greece, some of which had been unpasteurised – that is, they had not undergone heat treatment to kill potential pathogens.

Greek authorities have suspended all slaughters and shipments of goats and sheep amid the outbreak, raising fears of a meat shortage in the country if the disease is not brought under control quickly.

‘Between May 1 and July 12, 2024, 3,818 tons of milk and dairy products were imported from Greece,’ the estimate said.

‘Of this, 98.4 percent was pasteurized and 1.6 percent unpasteurized cheese.’

However, they added that the risk of PPR entering the country via this route was considered due to the time it takes to get such products onto the UK market.

‘It is suggested that PPR has a low survival rate in meat and raw milk products, and it is expected that the ripening time of cheeses and the duration of transport to the UK will be longer than the survival time of the virus in these products,’ the researchers said.

However, they acknowledged that overall there is a ‘lack of evidence’ for PPR survival in these products.

DEFRA officials concluded: ‘We continue to monitor the situation closely as this is an important exotic disease that will be of concern to the EU due to its potential for spread and impact on livestock.’

The last EU outbreak of PPR was recorded in 2018 in Bulgaria. Outbreaks of PPR have also been reported in 2024 in Turkey and in Gregoria.