Gulf livestock ban hits Africa

Ban deals blow to pastoral economies in the horn of Africa

Six Gulf states have banned livestock imports from eight East African countries and Nigeria following an outbreak of Rift Valley fever.

According to official figures released on Monday, the disease has killed 55 in Yemen and Saudi Arabia and devastated herds of livestock. Local newspaper reports say the toll is far higher at 200 dead.

Livestock imports from Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Uganda, Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Nigeria banned

The authorities in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates, have imposed the ban to prevent the spread of the viral disease.

A team of specialists from the World Health Organization and another from a Cairo-based health research centre flew to Yemen to help curb the disease as South African health officials arrived in Saudi Arabia.

Impact

The disease is usually transmitted by mosquitoes and through human contact with infected animals.

Doctors in Saudi Arabia and Yemen have reported symptoms including diarrhoea, burst arteries and renal failure.

Countries affected by the ban include Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Uganda, Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Nigeria.

Local newspapers in Dubai reported on Monday that five Somali ships carrying sheep were barred from docking at Hamriyah port in Dubai as part of a precautionary health measure against the disease.