Jordan on Red Alert Against Foot-and-Mouth DiseaseJordan is on the red alert against the contagious foot-and-mouth disease, though no cases has been reported so far this year, the semiofficial English daily Jordan Times reported on Monday.The agriculture ministry is in constant contact with all veterinary centers across the kingdom to check a possible outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease, Assad Abu Ragheb, the ministry's livestock administration director, was quoted as saying. All veterinary centers are being kept in touch with his ministry by the Internet for immediate notification of the disease, said Abu Ragheb, adding that the kingdom implements a program to vaccine livestock at regular six-month intervals to keep the disease at bay. A recent outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease in Britain has sent fears across the international livestock market, prompting many countries to take preventive measures against the highly infectious disease. The disease mostly affects, and sometimes is fatal to, cloven- footed animals, but many experts believe it's harmless to human beings. Jordan has already banned importing cattle, beef and beef products from most European countries because of the mad cow disease, which affected France, Belgium and Holland last year. The ban will also protect the kingdom from the food-and-mouth disease as it applies to meat emanating from Britain and affected areas in Europe, Abu Ragheb said. |
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