Undiagnosed camel disease - Ethiopia: RFI

International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Source: Sudan Tribune [edited]
< http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article17657>

Ethiopian authorities announced that [there is an outbreak of a] new
camel disease in the Somali region of Ethiopia. Official said efforts
are done to contain the outbreak.

The Somali regional State Animal, Crop and Natural Resources
Development Bureau disclosed that it has provided treatment to more
than 178 600 camels with a view to containing the spread of
communicable diseases.

The head of the bureau, Dr Abdelhakim Mohammed, told the Ethiopian
Walta Information Centre today that the treatment was provided in 19
woredas districts for the past 10 months, where a fatal new camel
disease surfaced. [Woreda is an administrative sub-division, or local
government, equivalent to a district.  Woredas are composed of a
number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations]

The disease killed over 370 camels in Mieso woreda alone last
Ethiopian year, he recalled, adding that it was prevented from
causing similar damage by taking swift measure in collaboration with
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and various
Non-Governmental Organizations. [The Ethiopian calendar is based on
the Alexandrian or Egyptian calendar; the year begins August 29 or 30
of the almost universally used Julian calendar.  For more
information, see <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_calendar>]

Some 600 000 birr [USD 69 000] has been spent so far for the
prevention endeavour and the activity would continue with more vigour
this budget year, and called on pastoralists in the woredas to notify
agricultural professionals of any sudden camel deaths.

Camel morbidity and mortality in the Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and
Somalia in the late 1990's was attributed mainly to camel pox (or the
rarer parapox) and to the relatively new "camel respiratory disease
syndrome," the etiology of which was not clear. RVF was regarded as
the cause of mortality in young camels and of abortion storms. See
19980207.0233.

A paper dealing with little-known camel diseases in the horn of
Africa was published in OIE's Rev Sci Tech Off Int Epiz, 2003, 22
(3), 1043-1049 and may be accessed at
<http://www.oie.int/eng/publicat/RT/2203/PDF22-3/24.Dirie.pdf>.