Published Date: 2018-08-05 10:20:01
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Foot & mouth disease - Algeria (05): bovine, st O, topotype EA-3, spread
Archive Number: 20180805.5947341
FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE - ALGERIA (05): BOVINE, SEROTYPE O, TOPOTYPE EA-3, SPREAD
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: Tue 31 Jul 2018 16:40 CET
Source: TSA [in French, trans. Mod.AB, edited]
https://www.tsa-algerie.com/fievre-aphteuse-190-cas-recenses-dans-dix-wilayas/
The number of cattle affected by foot-and-mouth disease [FMD] since the inception of the epizootic on [Thu 21 Jun 2018] reached 190 cases in 10 provinces, according to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture.
The 10 provinces where these cases have been recorded are Tizi-Ouzou, Bouira, Bejaia, Setif, Tipaza, Medea, Oum El Bouaghi, Bourd Bou Arreridj, Chlef, and Blida.
The affected cattle were slaughtered, according to the same communication from the Ministry of Agriculture, and measures were taken by the governors to regulate livestock flows, close cattle markets according to the situation in each province, and provide disinfectants to clean up epidemic areas.
"Livestock research and surveillance operations are strengthened by the mobilization of all veterinary doctors and practitioners," said the ministry, which also announced that a market has been opened for the acquisition of 2 million doses of vaccine in accordance with the plan established Tuesday [31 Jul 2018] at a meeting of the secretary general of the ministry Kamel Chadi with veterinary inspectors of the provinces.
The secretary general has given instructions to veterinary inspectors of the provinces to "ensure the surveillance on the day of the Eid and ensure compliance with health rules in force at markets and other points of sale with the issuance of health certificates that will accompany livestock, especially for livestock keepers moving to other provinces."
In anticipation of the Eid [Eid al-Adha/Eid al-Kabir (Festival of Sacrifice), 21-23 Aug 2018], during which a significant number of livestock will be sacrificed, preventive measures have been taken, including the designation by the governors of livestock outlets and the introduction of veterinary surveillance on these outlets.
The Ministry of Agriculture has also announced increased information and awareness raising on the fatting of livestock preceding the Eid: dissemination of awareness spots on good farming practices and the slaughter of cattle, the opening on the holiday of all slaughter structures, and the mobilization of mobile patrols for the surveillance of cattle.
[Byline: Hassane Saadoun]
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-MENA
<promed-mena@promedmail.org>
[Another 2 provinces -- Tipaza and Bourd Bou Arreridj -- were added to the 8 northern provinces of Algeria included in the last OIE report dated Thu 19 Jul 2018, bringing to 10 the number of affected provinces and expressing the rapid spread of the virus.
Some 2 million doses of vaccine will be imported, probably a vaccine consisting of a strain that adequately immunizes against serotype O and against both the EA-3 strain currently circulating and the ME-SA strain that hit Algeria in 2014. - Mod.AB]
[So far, the disease has been reported, in Algeria, only from bovines. Information on the disease situation in other susceptible species -- in particular sheep and goats -- is yet to become available. Such animals are expected to be widely traded and transported preceding and during the due Eid al-Adha events. There is no information on them being included in Algeria's vaccination scheme (we stand to be corrected). If infected, they may become a serious threat of spreading the virus within and beyond the boundaries of Algeria.
Such a threat is of particular significance for Morocco, which is one of the 6 countries, globally, that was recognised by the OIE in May 2018 as having "an endorsed control programme for FMD." Such a status is required on the road to obtain FMD-free status, enabling certified international trade in animals and their products.
Further details on the FMD official control programmes and FMD status of member countries, as applied by the OIE, is available at http://www.oie.int/animal-health-in-the-world/official-disease-status/fmd/fmd-official-control-programme/. - Mod.AS
HealthMap/ProMED-mail map: Algeria: http://healthmap.org/promed/p/67]
