The UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) has banned imported fruits and vegetables from Kerala, India and animal products from South Africa.
The MoCCAE said it has ordered the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and the municipalities of Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah, and Fujairah to ban the entry of imported fruits and vegetables from the Indian state.
The announcement was made following reports of an outbreak of the brain-damaging Nipah virus in Kerala.
The virus is reportedly transmitted through secretion by bats to food they feed on, usually mangoes, dates, and bananas.
Indian authorities have yet to identify the main source of the virus, although initial rounds of testing of fruit bats in Perambra, the suspected epicenter of the virus, have already started.
Meanwhile, livestock from South Africa was banned from UAE stores due to a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health regarding the outbreak of Rift Valley River disease.
In a press statement, the MoCCAE announced that all live animals, including sheep, goats, cattle, buffaloes, camels, gazelles, and their “non-heat-treated by-products” from Letsemeng province in South Africa are all included in the ban.
The bans were issued to ensure safety of consumers in the UAE.
