Foot-and-mouth disease spreads in Egypt

CAIRO - The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease continued to spread in Egypt with more infected cases of livestock reported, the country's Gazette newspaper reported Wednesday.

A total of 10,228 cases have been confirmed in five governorates including Cairo and Alexandria, with the deaths of 704 calves, the newspaper quoted Egypt's Minister of Agriculture Mohamed Reda Ismail as saying.

In Gharbiya province alone, 1,626 positive cases were discovered on Tuesday, Ismail said, adding that the authorities have isolated the infected ones in affected areas to contain the outbreak.

There have been no reports of human infections of the disease in Egypt by far. The strain of virus is the pan-Asian type, also known as O1, the same type which hit cattle in Egypt about five years ago, according to Ismail.

The official warned that all provinces were vulnerable to the disease and urged tougher checks on imported meat products.