July 12, 2006

Egyptian cattle afflicted with LSD

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) among livestock in Egypt could threaten food security, along with the livelihoods of thousands of cattle farmers, a veterinary expert warned last week.

Egypt needs to resolve the issue or there could be serious problems with food security, said Dr Taleb Ali, regional animal health officer at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's Near East office.

There is no specific cure for LSD. The current outbreak inflicts a 30 percent mortality rate among infected cattle.

LSD first surfaced in Egypt in 1988 and quickly spread across the country, causing massive economic losses before it was brought under control through containment measures.

However, an outbreak of LSD appeared last July and may be even more difficult to control than the previous one.

Even as 2.5 million heads of cattle out of an estimated total of 3.5 million cattle were vaccinated, the virus has continued to spread.

The vaccines may not be working as the disease may have evolved into a more vicious strain, said Ali.

LSD cases can now be found across the Nile Delta.

The disease is drastically affecting the livelihoods of small-scale farmers as falling prices for beef have badly affected their incomes, Ali said.