Fish eaters beware!! Deadly tilapia virus detected in Lake Victoria

Image result for Lake victoriaLake victoria is deteriorating due to pressure from population increase and resultant effluence reducing water quality, therefore, enabling microbes to take advantage of the situation become pathogenic and develop diseases in fish.

As a result , a Tilapia Virus which was first detected in Israel in 2009 and led to massive tilapia deaths has been confirmed in Lake Victoria after the Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) was detected in Uganda.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that the virus has been detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing method in both farmed and wild tilapia from Lake Victoria part of Uganda.Image result for TiLV

The results reveal that there is no difference in prevalence between the farmed and wild fish sample in the sample that was tested. Speaking at a FAO-organized a workshop in Kisumu, the officer in charge Aquaculture FAO, Melba Reantaso said the training is focusing on a better understanding of the disease that has been affecting Tilapia species in Asia and a few counties in Africa.

Mr Ogwai confirmed that the Kenya part of the lake  has not encountered the virus, but in Uganda, they have detected the virus although given that both are in one system preparations are in place when it invades,”

Ogwai said after the 10 days’ workshop the researchers will develop the national action plan on how to tackle the virus. “We will develop surveillance system, that we will monitor the lake, rivers, and dams so that in the event of the problem coming up we will be able to tackle it,” said Ogwai. The scientist reports that the virus has no human health risk but has a large potential impact on global food security and nutrition. Image result for fish gif“While the pathogen poses no public health concern, it can decimate infected fish populations,” said Melba. Melba revealed that there is unexplained mortality In several countries but the cause has not been systematically diagnosed whether it’s as a result of TiLV or another bacteria or a disease.
“So far we don’t have any report or evidence that it has human health impact but the threat is on the production of Tilapia which is one of the most important cultured species and affordable to many people,” she explained.

A researcher in fish diseases and health at Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) based in Kisumu Caleb Ogwai said due to the threat the department is establishing a fish health department to look at the fish diseases in the rivers, lake, and dams in the Kenyan part of Lake Victoria.Image result for cina fish lake victoria

As fish from China drive fishermen out of business, the dwindling catches from Lake Victoria have left an insufficient supply of fresh fish.

Before its waters were polluted, Lake Victoria was the world’s second largest freshwater lake – known for its huge stock of fish until 1950s when nature and man-made calamities conspired against it.

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