JERUSALEM, Israel - The International Society for Infectious Diseases posted a report on Monday alleging that the Syrian military has been hit by a plague.

According to the report, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ordered the military to stop all its exercises until the source of the epidemic could be pinpointed.

With the start of the Islamic month of Ramadan on August 11 - a little over a month away -infected soldiers could spread the disease when they return to their homes and families for the holiday. The Syrian army consists of 215,000 regulars and 300,000 reservists.

Click here to read ISID's full report.

The report further stated that extreme drought conditions have caused a food shortage, which has been particularly hard on the poorest segments of the population.

According to the posting, 60,000 small livestock owners have lost all their animals and another 50,000 farmers have lost 50-60 percent of their cattle.

Europe last experienced a plague in 1910.

The report comes out during a time of speculation that war might break out between Israel and Syria.