By Zinhle Xaba and Lehlohonolo Lehana.
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South Africa needs to intensify efforts to curb an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that has resulted in the restriction of movement of livestock to help stem the spread, agriculture minister said.
The KwaZulu-Natal province has 147 active cases of the highly contagious illness that affects cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, with new infections emerging outside of the designated disease-management areas, John Steenhuisen said in an emailed statement.
“This lack of sufficient action is jeopardising farmers’ livelihoods, the agricultural industry, and the economy,” he said, urging officials in his department to do more. “This needs to stop. Immediately.”
FMD is a highly contagious virus that affects cattle, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed ruminants, causing painful blisters in their mouths and under their hooves, resulting in lameness and feeding problems.
South Africa declared designated disease areas in KwaZulu-Natal in 2021, and Steenhuisen was forced to extend the boundaries of these regions last month owing to the spread of the virus.
He instructed officials to ensure that the police and the road traffic-management authorities oversee animal movement, and that they obtain enough vaccines to cater for a full rollout of inoculations.
Foster Mohale, a spokesperson for National Department of Health told Fullview, that the new outbreaks are very concerning given the amount of effort that has been made to contain future outbreaks.
“However, we are collaborating with our counterparts in the Department of Agriculture to ensure that we stop the outbreaks through coordinated efforts.
“We continue to encourage people in KwaZulu-Natal to remain calm in the face of new outbreaks. As the government, we are working to contain the situation and provide the necessary relief,” Mohale stated.