FAO alerts countries in the Mediterranean region to enhance preparedness for foot-and-mouth disease

Abstract

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is recommending enhanced biosecurity due to the risk of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the Mediterranean region. There has been an increased number of FMD outbreaks in North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Tunisia), including the detection of a novel FMD serotype SAT2. This concerning epidemiological situation coincides with an expected intensified movement of livestock associated with the Ramadhan period.