The World Organization for Animal Health has raised concerns for the possible outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Libya, after identifying several confirmed cases among livestock in the southern region.
"The fever was first confirmed in December last year, among small flocks of sheep," the organization clarified in a statement Monday.
But lately, other cases were discovered in a farm in Brak Al-Shati district, southwest of the country, while another breakout occurred in a herd consisting of 130 animals near the town of Ubari, according to the organization.
The organization indicated that the infection was likely distributed by the movement of animals between neighboring countries.
Animals in Libya could have caught the disease from Sudan or Chad. In mid-October 2019, the health authorities in Sudan announced the outbreak of RVF on its territory, prompting countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to ban the importing of livestock from Sudan.
RVF could cause large-scale spontaneous abortions and high mortality rates in young animals. It is a zoonotic disease that could be spread to people through contact with infected livestock or through handling undercooked meat, blood, or raw milk.