Four provinces declared free of foot-and-mouth disease

The 2021 foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak has been resolved in the North West, Free State, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. 

However, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape remain affected, the agriculture department said on Friday.

The four inland provinces, which were initially affected by the outbreak, have completed comprehensive testing of animals on quarantined farms.  

“The results indicate the FMD virus is no longer present. The World Organisation for Animal Health has confirmed the outbreak in these regions has been closed,” the department said. 

It was encouraging that no new signs of the disease had been reported in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape over the past month. 

The department said in the Humansdorp area in the Eastern Cape, 37 farms were confirmed positive for FMD while another 38 farms were pre-emptively vaccinated to prevent spreading of the disease. In East London, the FMD outbreak has been contained.

“Since the onset of the outbreak, about 130,000 animals have been vaccinated in the province.” 

Farms that were infected or vaccinated remained under quarantine with animal movements restricted. Movement from these farms was only permitted for direct slaughter with state veterinary approval.  

On July 26, the department declared an FMD disease management area (DMA) covering parts of the Kouga and Kou-Kamma municipalities. Animal movements into, through, within or out of this area were controlled and required state veterinary permission.  

In addition to the control measures in the DMA in the Eastern Cape, the July gazette notice stipulated that cloven-hoof livestock in South Africa may only be moved if accompanied by a health declaration from the owner, attesting to the animals' health at the time of movement.  

“While this has been a legal requirement since October 2022, its importance is being reiterated to prevent the further spread of FMD.” 

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