Manama, May 10 (BNA):Twelve cattle have been diagnosed with the Lumpy skin disease (LSD) in a number of livestock farms and barns in Bahrain. “Animal control veterinarians discovered the cases as they were conducting a routine survey following the outbreak of the disease in a GCC country”, the Directorate of Agriculture and Marine Resources said.

The directorate of animal health control affirmed that it had taken all the necessary precautionary and preventive measures to confront the disease. In a statement today, the department, which is an affiliate of the Directorate of Agriculture and Marine Resources, reassured the public, saying that LSD does not pose health risks to humans.
“LSD, an acute infectious viral disease of cattle of all ages, is not contagious to humans”, Animal Health Control director Dr. Ibrahim Youssef said, pointing out that LSD viral disease incurs economic losses which result from a production drop and morbidity rates due to health complications. The directorate of animal health control has taken all preventive measures ever since the first LSD case was diagnosed in Kuwait.
Field teams led by veterinarians were set up to conduct a survey to assess the extent of the disease. All cows imported to Bahrain have also been vaccinated and quarantined and livestock farms and barns sprayed with pesticides and disinfectants.
The Directorate of Agriculture and Marine Resources decided last February to ban any imported cattle from countries affected by Lumpy skin disease (LSD) as per the warning bulletin issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

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BNA 1941 GMT 2015/05/10