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Published Date: 2012-03-21 16:21:48
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Foot & mouth disease - Egypt (09): update, vaccine, OIE
Archive Number: 20120321.1076906

FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE - EGYPT (09): UPDATE, VACCINE, OIE
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[1]
Date: Wed 21 Mar 2012
Source: Green Prophet, Egypt Independent report [summ., edited]
http://www.greenprophet.com/2012/03/egypt-foot-mouth-disease/

Many Egyptians have stopped buying meat after thousands of livestock have died from foot-and-mouth disease [FMD] in the last 3 weeks.

Even though it is extremely rare for humans to contract FMD, many panicky Egyptians have stopped purchasing meat since the virus began to spread through the country, leaving thousands of dead cattle in its wake. After last year's [2011] revolution and subsequent mismanagement of natural resources and political matters, Egyptians are unable to trust government exhortations that they are monitoring the epidemic that has affected cattle and livestock in Alexandria, Cairo, and various other governorates.

The General Authority for Veterinary Services reported that 40 222 cattle have been infected and 4658 cattle have died since the disease broke out 3 weeks ago.

Dr Amr Kandil, head of the Preventive Medicine Department of the Health Ministry, told Egypt Independent that the government "is keen on putting all facts about the current situation in the hands of Parliament."

Egypt Independent said this statement refers to a meeting of the Shura Council agricultural committee last week [week of 12 Mar 2012], during which the epidemic and its potential impact on the Egyptian economy and national security were evaluated and presented to the public.

But the people aren't buying. Many stores have closed down and one butcher, told the paper that he has increased sales of chicken since the FMD outbreak. Prices for chicken have skyrocketed by 20 percent.

Another woman told the paper they simply can't trust what the government says.

Meanwhile livestock farmers are hardest hit by this epidemic and will receive no financial support from the government for their losses. 1876 animals have died in the Gharbia governorate and 17 678 have been infected, while 439 deaths and 5426 have been reported in the Dakahlia governorate, according to Egypt Independent. [These figures should be seen as a rough estimate; in fact, those experienced in FMD epidemiology would say - "underestimate". - Mod.AS]

Dr Hatem Farrag, assistant minister of agriculture for veterinary medicine, told Al-Masry Al-Youm [newspaper] that in the past, "farmers were not compensated for FMD infections; however, the government is currently considering compensation for farmers."

The government urged farmers to bury their dead livestock instead of dumping them in irrigation canals.

[Byline: Tafline Laylin]

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[2]
Date: Tue 20 Mar 2012
Source: The Daily News Egypt [edited]
http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/health/egypt-begins-local-production-of-fmd-vaccine.html

Egypt began local production of the vaccine to combat FMD as the rate of infection has significantly decelerated, said Agriculture Minister Mohamed Reda.

The minister was updating the cabinet of ministers with the latest in the combat against the spreading disease.

The rate of the disease increase has significantly decelerated, Reda said in a meeting of the ministerial committee at the Cabinet of Ministers, headed by Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzoury. The meeting included the ministers of petroleum, supply and domestic trade, irrigation and water resources, health and agriculture.

The governor of Gharbia, where the disease first broke out, and MPs from the province in both the People's Assembly and Shura Council were also present.

They discussed the preparation of an emergency plan to compensate farmers, based on the number and age of cattle they've lost, as well as postponing their installments on loans from the Principal Bank for Development and Agricultural Credit.

El-Ganzoury said a report is being prepared to amend the current insurance fund law so the government can properly compensate those affected by FMD. It will be presented in the next Cabinet meeting.

Compensation will be given based on reports by veterinarians or by the Veterinary Unit in each province, and not through complaints filed at police stations. "We have received complaints calling for compensation for over 50 000 cattle, which is an extremely exaggerated number," said Reda.

An outbreak of FMD among cattle in Egypt has been a concern for the past few weeks, with the Ministry of Agriculture preventing the trade or transportation of cattle between provinces.

According to the latest reports, over 33 000 were infected and 3110 have died since the beginning of the outbreak, according to official state portal http://www.egynews.net/wps/portal/home [but see item [1] with later cited figures].

Present in Egypt are FMD types A and O, for which local livestock have been vaccinated; however, the current outbreak is from FMD type SAT2, found in the country for the 1st time.

[Byline: Safaa Abdoun]

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[The production of a batch of an FMDV SAT2 vaccine, reportedly undertaken by the Egyptian veterinary services, will most probably be carried out in the Veterinary Serum & Vaccine Research Institute (formerly called the Veterinary Serum Laboratory), in the Abbassia district, east of Cairo (http://www.vsvri-eg.com/). Such a process, which includes the adaptation and infection of a suspension or monolayer cell culture with the candidate virus, clarification of the resulting preparation, its inactivation, and blending with adjuvant, may take several weeks in optimal conditions, prior to safety testing, which is conditional to release. A quicker way out will be the utilization of commercially available SAT2 vaccines, though such vaccines may be genetically distant from the currently circulating strain -- thus protection might be partial.

On Tue 20 Mar 2012, the WRLFMD published on its Egypt webpage the confirmation of FMDV SAT2 in batch no. WRLFMD/2012/00011 (28 samples), received 12 Mar 2012. Genotyping results are not included; see at http://www.wrlfmd.org/fmd_genotyping/africa/egy.htm. Unfortunately, the genotyping of the Libyan FMDV SAT 2 strain, which -- probably -- is closely related to the Egyptian strain, is also not yet published, though its sequencing was accomplished earlier. The publication of sequencing results by the WRLFMD becomes possible only upon obtaining the consent of the country involved.

On Tue 20 Mar 2012, Egypt submitted to the OIE its follow-up report no. 1 on this epizootic. It included data from outbreaks, affecting cattle, buffaloes, sheep, and goats in the governorates of Luxor, Dakahlia, Monufia, Ismailia, and Beheira. See, with an interactive map, at http://web.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=event_summary&reportid=11748. - Mod.AS

A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at: http://healthmap.org/r/1zkM.]

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