Over 61 thousand animals have been infected with foot-and-mouth disease, and over 10 thousand have died from it, according to a new report from the General Authority for Veterinary Services.
The report documented the rising rate of the disease, which has devastated Egypt’s livestock population and led to a large increases in meat prices. The report also found that the import of live animals from Sudan and Ethiopia is not responsible for introducing the foot-and-mouth strain to Egypt. Researchers did not find any links between the disease and animals brought from the country’s ports.
Hayani Saad, chairman of a meat producers association, said that the country might see the end of the foot-and-mouth crisis in the beginning of April. Imported vaccines and warmer temperatures due to the start of the summer season should deter the disease, he said.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
