Mysterious Death and Disease in Iraq
IRAQ - Cattle herds in the southern marshlands of Iraq are being devastated by an unidentified disease, officials have revealed.
24 June 2008
1 minute read
According to the United Press International Khalid Ali Moussa with the environment ministry in southeastern Missan province said there is a lack of oversight from Baghdad regarding water contamination.
"We can't send our employees all over the marshlands to check on contamination levels for security reasons. Environmental awareness is low, meaning there is reckless dumping of waste material in the marshlands," he told the United Nations' humanitarian reporting agency, IRIN, Monday.
An estimated 200 cows and buffalo succumbed to the disease since April. Mohammed Arif Mohamed, a veterinarian in southern Dhi Qar province, said the symptoms are similar to hoof-and-mouth disease and a local strain of fever known to infect cattle.
TheCattleSite News Desk
