Herders and veterinary authorities in northern Upper Nile state have reported the the appearance of various diseases among cattle Faloj and Jelhak areas, causing the deaths of nearly 200 head of cattle.

The local government lacks veterinary medicines against cow-pox. Herders said that hundreds of livestock are at risk of death due to scattered outbreaks of disease, some of which have not been identified.

Awad Hamed, the deputy director of animal resources and fisheries in Renk, attributed the outbreak in Faloj and Jelhak in part to the occurrence of diseases in areas along the border between Ethiopia and Blue Nile, where the diseases spread easily.

He explained that often in such a situation among cattle the problem turns out to be cow-pox, but right now there is a complete lack of serum for this.

But he stressed that it’s possible to use immunizations to control the rest of the viral and bacterial diseases, which are known as anthrax, poisoning and ‘Abu Zagala’ (black leg).