ASSIUT, Egypt: Egyptian vets have detected foot-and-mouth disease in eight calves on a government-owned farm in southern Egypt, an official said on Sunday. Mohammed Marzouq, head of veterinary medicine for the governorate of Assiut, said 80 other calves were being tested for infection with the disease, which does not affect humans but can have a serious impact on the livestock industry. Farmers say Egypt s poultry industry, which supports up to 3 million people, has been devastated after the bird flu virus was discovered in the country last month. Marzouq said local health officials had arrived at the farm which was on the outskirts of a village about 300 kms (190 miles) south of Cairo. They were treating the infected calves in the hope they would recover. The disease cripples the reproductive capacity of cloven-hoofed animals. Reuters
Egypt finds foot-and-mouth disease in eight calves
