Morocco herds threatened, U.N. agency says

RABAT, Morocco, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- A deadly viral disease is threatening livestock in Morocco, jeopardizing the local and neighboring economies, a U.N. agency said Tuesday.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is helping Morocco address the outbreak of peste des petits ruminants, a contagious disease among domestic goats and sheep, the United Nations said in a news release issued from New York.

So far, authorities know of 133 cases of the disease in 29 provinces of the North African country, the agency said. However, the food organization said it fears trading in livestock will increase during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid Al-Adha, causing the outbreak to spiral out of control.

"These outbreaks can lead to serious economic losses, aggravated by imposed sanitary measures, controls on livestock movement and trade restrictions," the organization said.

Mortality rates in infected animals can reach 80 percent in acute cases and 100 percent in "super acute" cases with sheep or goats dying in the first week.

Joseph Domenech, the U.N. agency's chief veterinary officer, said if the current scenario turns into a higher mortality event, "the livelihoods of the affected herders would severely be at risk."