What it is
Sheep and goat pox is a viral disease of sheep and goats. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) lists fever, widespread skin papules or nodules, less commonly vesicles, internal lesions and death among typical signs. Its agents belong to the genus Capripoxvirus; the disease does not infect people. Serbia's Agriculture Ministry likewise describes it as highly contagious for a susceptible flock.
Why it became important
On 26 July 2026, the ministry confirmed an outbreak at one holding in the Raška municipality. After samples were taken, the Veterinary Specialist Institute in Kraljevo confirmed infection in under 24 hours; the holding had 67 sheep and 60 lambs, and all 127 animals were euthanised and their remains disposed of under the applicable rules. The ministry said this was Serbia's first confirmed outbreak of 2026; three were recorded in the Raška District in 2025.
Current status and what an owner should do
As of 28 July 2026, that outbreak is the one confirmed; the available reports do not publish a complete list of new control zones or holdings under observation. If animals have fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, lower milk yield, eye or nasal discharge, nodules or scabs, contact a veterinarian or veterinary inspector immediately, isolate the animal, and do not buy, sell or move animals without veterinary approval. The ministry also advises limiting access by people and vehicles to the holding, disinfecting footwear, equipment and vehicles, and keeping newly acquired animals separate for at least 21 days.
How it spreads and why it matters
According to the ministry's explanation, infection can enter a flock with an infected animal or through contact with animals from an infected area. It can spread by direct contact, secretions, skin lesions and scabs, and indirectly through contaminated clothing, footwear, equipment, vehicles and bedding. For a holding, the risk is therefore not only a sick animal but also movement of people and items between flocks. This is not a human disease: the ministry says meat and milk from registered, controlled facilities in legal trade are safe.
What remains open
Agriculture Minister Dragan Glamočić said the disease had most likely reached Serbia through smuggling channels from Kosovo; this is his claim, not a published result of an epidemiological investigation. The next checkable facts will be new veterinary decisions on surveillance, movement restrictions and their withdrawal, as well as reports of further confirmed holdings. Before buying, selling or transporting sheep and goats from a risk area, an owner should obtain instructions from the local veterinarian.