Asir Region governorate has banned the transportation including the entry and exit of livestock to and from Mahayil Governorate especially in areas and rural centers where positive samples for antibodies of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) virus were detected. The region's governorate issued directives to Mahayil to prevent the movement of livestock to and from the governorate and to coordinate with the concerned authorities. It directed the security authorities to implement these measures and asked the Ministry of Agriculture branch to pinpoint the locations of afflicted herds and to cooperate in vaccinating livestock and spraying animal sheds, to report new RVF cases immediately and to monitor veterinary pharmacies. Earlier, the region's governorate set up an operations room to monitor any RVF cases. In another development, blood samples taken from the expatriate Azizul Haq Kalamiyah, 40, suspected of suffering from RVF has tested negative. The reports came in from the regional laboratory in Jeddah, said Sa'eed Abdullah Al-Neqair, Director of Health Information and Public Relations in Asir Region Directorate of Health. Last month when the reports of the virus first came to light, the authorities took immediate preventive measures.
