Published Date: 2025-03-28 02:07:15 GMT
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Foot & mouth disease - Yemen: (LA) livestock, suspected, RFI
Archive Number: 20250328.8723209
FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE - YEMEN: (LAHJ) LIVESTOCK, SUSPECTED, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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Date: Fri 21 Mar 2025
Source: Reef Yemen [in Arabic, machine trans., edited]
https://reefyemen.net/archives/1584521
A government veterinary team has conducted a vaccination campaign for livestock in the Tur Al-Baha district of Lahj Governorate, southern Yemen, following the spread of a strange disease that has killed dozens of livestock in recent weeks. The Ministry of Agriculture has revealed the cause of the diseases spreading among the animals.
The Yemen Countryside platform published a report on livestock deaths in Tur Al-Baha district in Lahj on Saturday, 15 Mar 2025, titled "Lahj: A mysterious disease is causing livestock deaths, with no solutions." Estimates revealed that more than 150 head of livestock have died in the Tur Al-Baha district in just a few weeks.
According to journalist Mohammed bin Al-Qadri, a correspondent working with the Yemen Countryside Platform, "A veterinary field team conducted a field visit to determine the cause of livestock deaths in the Tur Al-Baha district, following the publication of a report on the spread of a mysterious disease among livestock."
The Tur Al-Baha district is witnessing an outbreak of a disease that threatens livestock, causing the deaths of large numbers of sheep, goats, and cows over the past month. Livestock farmers describe the disease as "mysterious," sparking concern among farmers who rely on livestock for their livelihoods.
The field team was headed by the Yemeni government's Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Abdulmalik Naji, accompanied by a number of officials from the ministry's sectors in Aden on Tuesday, 18 Mar 2025. A veterinary team also joined them, beginning a livestock vaccination campaign.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture's media in Aden, "A field visit was conducted to Tur Al-Baha in Lahjah, under the direction of the Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Fisheries, Salem Al-Soqatri, based on reports received about the emergence of some diseases affecting citizens' livestock in the directorate."
Citizens speaking to the Yemen Countryside platform expressed their fears of the continued spread of diseases among livestock and called for rapid intervention by dispatching specialized veterinary teams or providing the necessary medicines and vaccines to protect their remaining livestock.
Afif Al-Jabri, director of Tur Al-Baha district, said, "Immediately after the team's arrival (from Aden), a campaign was launched to vaccinate livestock in the Al-Gharqa Al-Sufla area to limit the spread of the disease among livestock, which has caused the deaths of dozens of animals," according to local authorities in Lahj.
The field team also provided a series of awareness-raising guidelines on diseases and how to deal with them. The relevant authorities in the Tur Al-Baha Directorate were provided with the necessary treatments, according to the Ministry of Agriculture's media. Undersecretary Naji emphasized "continued monitoring and further support to combat diseases affecting citizens' livestock."
Al-Jaafari confirmed that the Agriculture Office had received quantities of preventive doses to vaccinate livestock in areas suspected of having the disease. He said, "Livestock is a source of livelihood for many residents of the district."
Cause of livestock disease outbreaks
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The Ministry of Agriculture's field team has not yet revealed the type of disease spreading among livestock in the Tur Al-Baha district of Lahj. Residents spoke to "Rural Yemen" about the symptoms affecting their animals, which include a high temperature, loss of appetite, and the appearance of ulcers.
Veterinarian Bashar Al-Daghish confirmed that the symptoms appearing in the livestock indicate an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, a contagious viral disease that affects animals with cloven feet and causes significant economic losses due to its endemic nature and rapid spread.
The Yemen Countryside platform previously published details about foot-and-mouth disease, how it affects animals, and prevention methods. The platform's specialist, Mohammed Al-Hazmi, said, "All the symptoms mentioned by citizens in the report on the spread of the mysterious epidemic in Lahj indicate that there is an outbreak of the foot-and-mouth virus."
Regarding the reasons for the spread of the disease in the Tur Al-Baha district in Lahj, the Ministry of Agriculture said, "Livestock are being smuggled from the Horn of Africa via Ras Al-Ara (Lahj) and the port of Mokha (west of Taiz) without conducting veterinary tests or quarantine."
From time to time, epidemics and diseases spread among livestock in a number of Yemeni governorates. Due to the authorities' failure to respond to these diseases, whether through awareness-raising or the implementation of the necessary vaccinations, this causes significant losses for families who rely on livestock as a source of livelihood.
The livestock sector represents a lifeline for many Yemeni families, accounting for an estimated 20% of the local agricultural economy, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Moreover, 80% of farmers in Yemen own livestock, either as a primary source of income or as part of their agricultural investments.
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ProMED
[Reports have circulated in recent weeks about undiagnosed deaths among hundreds of livestock in both Lahj and Taiz, tied to the smuggling of livestock without appropriate veterinary testing (https://almushahid.net/129967/ and https://althawrah.ye/archives/967293). The report above provides clinical signs consistent with FMD, but any additional information on the serotype(s) present would be greatly appreciated.
In the FAO Jan-Mar 2024 quarterly report (https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/0a12fc2a-7fe4-4500-b999-3d91f8448c30/content) Yemen is a part of Pool 4 with FMDV Serotypes O, A, SAT1, SAT2, and SAT3 present in the region. - Mod.JH
ProMED map:
Yemen: https://promedmail.org/promed-post?place=8723209,126]
