Wednesday, 30 May 2018

A team of Medical School scientists gave a new twist to a current debate concerning a public crocodile farm with a study titled The Move of a Crocodile Farm from Israel to Cyprus: Public Health Concerns for the spread of West Nile Virus infections in Cyprus’. 

Currently, proposals are being explored as to whether to move a number of crocodiles from a commercial farm in Israel to the community of Dasaki Achnas, in Cyprus.  The study suggests that it is important for the Cypriot authorities to examine the potential public health ramifications of this move. Infections of crocodiles and alligators with the West Nile Virus (WNV) have been documented in the scientific literature, and in 2003 a study was conducted in Israel on a commercial farm which reported “a high rate of infection with WNV in crocodiles in Israel”.

Read the full study here