BAGHDAD Iraq, alarmed by an outbreak of Rift Vally fever in nearby countries, has sent medical teams to its borders with Saudi Arabia and Jordan to curb the disease, an Iraqi newspaper said on Tuesday.
"The ministry has taken precautionary measures, sending veterinary teams to border areas to report early on cases," the newspaper quoted Agriculture Minister Abdulillah Hameed Mahmoud as saying.
"The outbreak of the disease in Saudi Arabia has prompted the ministry to summon experts to discuss means to bring under control this dangerous disease, Mahmoud said.
"The viral disease aflicts sheep, cows and camels and is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes," he added. Humans can also be infected by contact with blood or body fluids from infected animals.
A recent outbreak in Saudi Arabia and Yemen has killed dozens of people and devastated livestock herds.
The official death toll in the two countries rose to 60 by Monday night.
Local newpapers and medical sources say more than 200 have died since the virus struck over two weeks ago.
The Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization said it was the first known outbreak of the disease outside Africa. The virus was first recognized in the Rift Vally of Kenya in 1930.
(Reuter)