Foot and mouth disease in Egypt could turn into something more serious, reports Reem Leila The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) issued a report on 22 March stating that at least 6.3 million buffaloes and cows as well as 7.5 million sheep and goats in Egypt are at risk of foot and mouth disease. According to the report, the animal population in Egypt is in urgent need of vaccines to keep the new strain of foot and mouth disease (FMD) under control. The vaccine takes up to two weeks to provide immunity for animals. Since 26 February, more than 51,044 animals are suspected cases in Egypt, while 7,000 animals, mostly calves, have already died. Some 22,970 animals have survived the virus while the remaining 28,074 are still under medical treatment. The FAO report stressed the fact that Egypt has some reserves of its own vaccine, but ones that do not protect against the SAT-2 strain because they are for the A and O strains. "The country could need the support of regional countries in importing more effective vaccines," FAO report stated. Urgent action is needed to control the outbreak of the disease throughout the country. Mohamed El-Senousi, professor of animal health at the Faculty of Agriculture in Cairo University said the Sat- 2 strain might mutate if a vaccine is delayed in reaching the country. "Egypt's livestock has no immunity at all against the new strain recently discovered in Egypt. If they are not immunised against the new strain, it might mutate. Also if safety measures are required to limit the spread of the virus are not properly applied a mutation is possible and could spread among North Africa and Middle East countries, thus leading to a food shortage," El-Senousi warned. The spread of FMD among many of the country's animal population has led to an increase in prices of red meat, poultry and fish. The public has been trying mightily to deal with the price hikes. Until now, farmers and livestock owners still get rid of dead animals by dumping them in tractors and trailers then on the side of the road. El-Senousi said carcasses of animals should be buried according to bio-safety measures, deep in the soil. On top of the soil, farmers must put quicklime in order to stop the spread of the virus among healthy animals. FMD could be fatal. Osama Selim, head of the General Authority of Veterinary Services (GAVS), said the new strain of the virus spreads quickly among animals, unlike other strains. Selim said the government must apply anti- contamination measures. At the same time, he denied allegations that the virus spread drastically decreases in summer. "The spreading of the virus remains the same whether in summer or winter. The fact is that wind speed in summer is less than winter," said Selim. Moreover, the virus is found in animal residues such as urine, stool and saliva where summer heat helps in speeding up the spread especially since animal residues are usually left in the streets, added Selim. At the same time the head of the Veterinary Doctors Syndicate Sami Taha blamed the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation for the spread of the virus among the country's animal population. "Livestock imported from Ethiopia were sick with the virus so our animals became infected. "Also cattle smuggled from Sudan and Libya, as the government claims, were carrying the virus," said Taha. Any delay in importing the vaccine, according to Taha, might allow the virus to mutate. This mutation might expose the country to a plague similar to that which happened back in the 1970s when Rift Valley Fever spread among Egypt's cattle, causing serious economic losses to the country. Head of Central Veterinary for Agriculture Quarantine of Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Youssef Shalabi, denied rumours that the country's cattle became infected with the virus from imported livestock. "All imported cattle are healthy and void of any contagious virus," said Shalabi. The virus, according to Shalabi, is decreasing in Alexandria, Fayoum and Minya governorates. "Recovery has exceeded 45 per cent," he added.
