Minister for Agriculture Mahendra Reddy has confirmed in parliament that the scabby mouth disease that affected the breeder sheep can also infect people.
Reddy confirmed this while responding to a question in parliament by National Federation Party MP Lenora Qereqeretabua on what measures will be taken to compensate farmers whose livestock caught virus from the breeder sheep handed out by the Ministry recently and died as a result of contracting the sickness from the breeder sheep.
He says the breeders were just the carriers of the virus but was not infected with this disease.
He says the scabby mouth disease does not kill animals.
Reddy says out of the 214 farms where they distributed the breeder sheep, 35 had infected sheep.
Meanwhile, Lenora Qereqeretabua says the response by the Minister was not good enough.
Reddy says they continue to monitor the situation.
Scabby mouth is a contagious viral disease of sheep and goats that causes scabs and blisters, usually around the mouth and face of affected animals.
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