Morocco, Turkey Report Foot and Mouth Outbreaks
GLOBAL - In the past week, four outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease have been reported in Moroccan cattle and sheep, and one outbreak in Turkish cattle.
18 November 2015
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The outbreaks in Morocco (above) occurred in the Centre region, in Sidi Bennour, Settat and El Jadida.
The O serotype virus led to 35 cattle being destroyed after six cases were confirmed. Sixty susceptible sheep were also destroyed, making a total of 95 animals across the four farms involved.
In response to the outbreaks, 10,000 cattle have been vaccinated in the Centre region. Increased surveillance, disinfection, quarantines and official waste disposal are also being used to control the disease.
The outbreak in Turkey was reported to result from illegal movement of animals and contact with infected animals at grazing and watering.
Forty cattle out of a susceptible population of 2346 were infected with an unnamed strain of serotype A Foot and Mouth virus. After analysis at the Pirbright Institute in the UK, the strain was termed "Genotype VII".
Movement controls, quarantines and disinfection will be used in Turkey to control the disease, but the report did not indicate whether the infected animals would be destroyed.
