Health Deputy Minister Calls on Residents in Disaster Zone to Pay Attention to Changes in Water Color or Odor

According to Armpress, Khojoyan noted in his speech that the work in the disaster zone has been divided according to priorities, and currently, managing the epidemic situation and preventing undesirable developments is also very important.

“Employees of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food Safety Inspection Body, and the Ministries of Health and Economy have jointly carried out the identification and destruction work of dead animals through burial. The process is being implemented through disinfection to exclude the possibility of an epizootic situation as much as possible,” said Khojoyan.

He added that the Food Safety Inspection Body is providing enhanced service at sales points to ensure food safety. Since the exact number of livestock is also crucial for the Ministry of Economy at this moment, according to preliminary data collected by veterinarians and administrative leaders, as of June 3, 192 pigs, 50 piglets, 300 rabbits, 16 large cattle, and 850 domestic birds have been registered as dead in the Lori region, and 143 beehives have been damaged.

“Citizens who discover or identify dead animals must call the hotline at 118 and report the location of the discovered animals so that our specialists can approach and carry out destruction work through burial,” said the Deputy Minister of Economy.

According to him, it is also necessary for sellers and food buyers to demonstrate vigilance at all sales points where supervision is being conducted. Khojoyan informed that inventorying work is also being carried out. This concerns the property of both entrepreneurs and owners of gardens and backyards.

“To present mechanisms of support for legal and physical persons engaged in agriculture or other activities, inventorying is necessary. Our employees are on-site, making visits to find fair mechanisms that reflect both the losses and subsequent recovery efforts, so that entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to continue their business activities. In this regard, both credit portfolios and the condition of existing infrastructure, registered properties, and monetary volumes are being clarified. To form a complete package, it is necessary for the information to be comprehensive. Alongside the inventorying process, mechanisms are also being developed, which we will present soon,” said Khojoyan.

Deputy Minister of Health Levan Hakobyan, for his part, noted that from the first day of the natural disaster, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been continuously monitoring the water supplied through the network and natural sources, and to this point, no deviations have been recorded.

“We urge the population to pay attention and immediately contact the relevant authorities or local government in case of any changes in the color or odor of the water in the coming days. The operational staff organizes the work in a coordinated manner, and, of course, representatives of the Food Safety Inspection Body are also involved in this work,” said Hakobyan.

He assured that the sanitary and hygienic situation in the disaster zone is manageable; however, he called on people to always remain vigilant and not to take any measures independently.

“In recent days, no cases of intestinal poisoning have been recorded. Three patients have been hospitalized at the Alaverdi Medical Center, but their condition is not related to the epidemic situation, therefore there is no cause for concern. All our medical centers are equipped with the necessary medical supplies and medications, and citizens can apply either to the Alaverdi Medical Center or to their rural community and outpatient clinics if needed,” said the Deputy Minister of Health.