IRAQ: Rift Valley Fever Virus diagnosed in south, say local authorities
Pastor Dale Morgan
IRAQ: Rift Valley Fever Virus diagnosed in south, say local authorities*
11 Oct 2007 17:14:06 GMT
Source: IRIN
NASSIRIYAH, 11 October 2007 (IRIN) - Local authorities in Nassiriyah, a
town about 300km south of Baghdad, have asked livestock farmers to take
all necessary precautions after laboratory tests showed that some
livestock had developed Rift Valley Fever (RVF).
"We were informed by local farmers about strange symptoms appearing
among sheep and cattle near Nassiriyah," said Mandhor Rayhan, a
spokesman for Dhi Qar provincial council. "A veterinary doctor who
examined the animals suggested they should be laboratory tested for Rift
Valley Fever and the suspected diagnosis was confirmed in at least four
animals."
The Nassiriyah medical laboratory chief, Abdel-Rayy Muhammad, said the
samples confirmed as positive were being rechecked at the National
Baghdad Laboratory over the next 48 hours.
"A recent phone call from a senior official in the National Laboratory
said there was possible confirmation of one case but other samples were
waiting to be tested," he said.
Specialists dispatched
Fayad Sulaiman, a senior official in the Ministry of Agriculture in
Baghdad, told IRIN a group of specialists were on their way to Dhi Qar
to evaluate the situation. "We are retesting again but as a precaution
we have sent some specialists to Nassiriyah... We hope it is an isolated
case," Sulaiman said.
"Some vaccines have been sent to Dhi Qar Governorate this morning and we
have contacted companies to get more supplies which should arrive within
a couple of days," he added.
"We are seriously concerned about the possibility that the disease might
spread," Dhi Qar provincial council spokesman Rayhan said, adding that
affected livestock farmers have been asked to confine their animals
within a 2sqkm area until more specialised laboratory tests can be
carried out in Baghdad.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), RVF affects livestock
(including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and camels) as well as humans.
The disease mostly appears in Africa.
People get RVF mainly from infected mosquitoes which act as vectors. The
disease can also be spread by contact with the blood or body fluids of
an infected animal.
"Our concern is that with the situation as it is in Iraq - with
increased poverty, displacement and pools of stagnant water - people
might get infected by mosquito bites," said Rayhan.
Vaccination of livestock
Khalid Idris, a veterinary specialist in Nassiriyah who has been dealing
with the problem, told IRIN that livestock in the contaminated farms
must be vaccinated as a matter of urgency.
"All sheep, cattle and buffalo in herds within the infected area should
be vaccinated immediately with an inactivated RVF vaccine and
revaccinated after two to four weeks. But these vaccines have not been
available in Iraq since before the US-led invasion in 2003," Idris said.
According to specialists, however, the vaccines for veterinary use can
cause birth defects and abortions in sheep and induce only low-level
protection in cattle.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said it had not received
any details of the outbreak but that it was in touch with the Ministry
of Agriculture.
In July 2001 the FAO said RVF had been detected among livestock in Yemen
and Saudi Arabia and warned of the possibility of the disease spreading
into Iraq. No case was confirmed then but since that time farmers have
been advised to vaccinate their livestock periodically, a procedure
that, according to Idris, has not taken place in Dhi Qar since February
2002.
"We are urging international organisations and the central government to
find quick solutions to the problem," Idris said.
RVF symptoms
The RVF virus can cause several different syndromes. People who are
infected with RVF either show no symptoms or develop a mild fever and
liver abnormalities. However, in some patients the illness can progress
to haemorrhagic fever (which can lead to shock or haemorrhage),
encephalitis (inflammation of the brain, which can lead to headaches,
coma, or seizures), or ocular diseases.
Patients who become ill usually experience fever, generalised weakness,
back pain, dizziness, and extreme weight loss at the onset of the
illness. Normally, RVF patients recover within two days to one week
after catching the illness.
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