Published Date: 2024-06-09 00:25:29 BST
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Lumpy skin disease, foot & mouth disease - Libya: (eastern) livestock, spread, alert
Archive Number: 20240608.8716926
LUMPY SKIN DISEASE, FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE - LIBYA: (EASTERN) LIVESTOCK, SPREAD, ALERT
A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org
Date: Thu 6 Jun 2024
Source: Al-Araby [in Arabic, trans. Mod.SF, abridged, edited]
https://urls.fr/aWQaqn
Livestock herders and breeders in Libya have watched their livelihoods evaporate in their hands due to outbreaks of lumpy skin disease skin disease and foot-and-mouth disease. Authorities had taken measures to control epidemic outbreaks months ago, but their measures did not bear fruit.
Authorities in Libya are facing a crisis of epidemics that threaten livestock, especially in the east, where climate change has been sweeping the country for months, causing the death of dozens of animals.
Earlier this week, the Livestock Department in eastern Libya announced that 177 cows had died and more than 1000 cows were infected with lumpy skin disease, while 1322 sheep and 47 cows died, and more than 19 000 sheep and 550 cows were infected with foot-and-mouth disease.
This came 2 days after municipalities in the east of the country received shipments of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine, and committees and doctors began campaigns to immunize livestock.
Finally, the House of Representatives-appointed government announced the start of distributing the first batch of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine, sending it to 7 municipalities in eastern and central Libya. It confirmed that it will send subsequent batches to all areas under its control.
More than 3 months ago, there were indications of a significant outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease across Libya, prompting breeders to call on the authorities to provide the necessary vaccines to confront the epidemics, while municipalities closed many livestock markets in a number of cities and villages and deployed animal health teams to inspect and assess the situation in an attempt to control the situation.
Despite the measures taken by the municipalities, the epidemics spread widely, causing the death and injury of many types of animals, especially sheep and cows.
"Eastern Libya is responsible for 40% of Libya's livestock production, the majority of which is in the Al Jabal Al Akhdar region," Ahmed Abu Halala, head of the Federation of Breeders and Farmers in Libya, told The New Arab. After the losses inflicted on agricultural areas due to the Derna floods, the result was an increase in the prices of meat, livestock, and vegetables.
[Byline: Oussema Ali]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED
via
ProMED-MENA
[Since its first report to WOAH in April 2023, lumpy skin disease has spread in an alarming way in all the Libyan territories. Information regarding the current situation can be found at the WOAH follow-up report. The last one, submitted on 24 Apr 2024 can be found at https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/5091?fromPage=event-dashboard-url.
Since the beginning of the current year, Libya's competent authority in animal has reported to the WOAH 70 FMDV outbreaks due to topotype O/EA-3. Clinical signs were observed in bovine, sheep, and goat. The last follow-up report, submitted on 31 Mar 2024, can be found at https://wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/5499?fromPage=event-dashboard-url.
The Libyan eastern region has been experiencing an alarming spread of lumpy skin disease since September 2023, following the passage of storm Daniel. Moreover, in recent years, Libya has suffered from social instability, which has had an impact on the veterinary services' strategy for combating transboundary animal diseases like FMDV and LSD. - Mod.SF
ProMED map of Libya: https://promedmail.org/promed-post?place=8716901,68]