The Rwanda Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources announced a temporary ban on the importation of tilapia fingerlings as a preventive measure against the tilapia lake virus, a disease which is already killing tilapia in Tanzania, Egypt, Ecuador and Colombia. According to local news, the country imports most of its fingerlings from China and Uganda.
The virus infects both wild and aquaculture populations of tilapia and presents symptoms such as skin erosion, discoloration, abnormal behavior, lethargy, loss of appetite, paleness, anemia, exophthalmia and abdominal swelling.
