Aqab announces detection of new foot-and-mouth disease strain
LIBYA – The director of the National Centre for Animal Health, Mohamed Aqab, has said Libya has recorded for the first time a new strain of foot-and-mouth disease known as “SAT 1”, describing it as more lethal because its effects extend to large animals rather than being confined to young lambs, amid a spread of infections in the eastern region.
Six outbreaks and deaths of cattle and sheep
In comments to the Fawasel platform, Aqab said six outbreaks of the disease have been recorded so far, three of them in Benghazi, two in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar and one in Suluq.
He added that the Animal Health Laboratory in Benghazi had confirmed infection in the Suluq outbreak, which, according to him, caused the deaths of about 65 head of African cattle that had entered the country illegally.
He also reported the deaths of 93 sheep in the Benghazi outbreaks between 21 October and 3 November, in addition to 19 head of local cattle in the Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar outbreaks.
No budgets and possible measures if outbreaks increase
Aqab stressed that the centre has received no budgets to buy vaccines since 2024 despite its requests to the competent authorities, noting that the vaccines currently in use, including those used last April, were provided by the General Command and distributed by the centre to all Libyan cities.
He warned that if the number of recorded outbreaks rises to 13, further measures could be taken, including closing livestock markets and banning the movement of animals.
