There have been no new outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) after the festive season, the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development said on Friday.
“Currently, the only provinces with unresolved outbreaks are the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The World Organisation for Animal Health has officially declared FMD outbreaks in all other previously affected provinces as resolved and closed,” the department said.
No new FMD outbreaks have been reported in the Eastern Cape in the past four months. The disease management area (DMA) in the province remained in place, and extensive surveillance was being conducted to ensure that no undetected pockets of infection persist.
Should the surveillance results be favourable, agriculture minister John Steenhuisen will consider lifting the DMA restrictions.
The department said there were 73 affected farms in the Kouga and Kou-Kamma municipalities, where animals were either infected or pre-emptively vaccinated.
These farms remained under quarantine, with strict movement controls and monitoring in place for at least the next 12 months.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the department said there had been no signs of outward spread after the FMD flare-ups reported at the end of 2024 in Pongola and Mtubatuba.
The affected dip tanks remain under quarantine, and cattle in adjacent dip tanks have been vaccinated to bolster herd immunity in the region.
TimesLIVE
No new outbreaks of foot and mouth disease after festive season
There have been no new outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) after the festive season, the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development said on Friday.
“Currently, the only provinces with unresolved outbreaks are the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The World Organisation for Animal Health has officially declared FMD outbreaks in all other previously affected provinces as resolved and closed,” the department said.
No new FMD outbreaks have been reported in the Eastern Cape in the past four months. The disease management area (DMA) in the province remained in place, and extensive surveillance was being conducted to ensure that no undetected pockets of infection persist.
Should the surveillance results be favourable, agriculture minister John Steenhuisen will consider lifting the DMA restrictions.
The department said there were 73 affected farms in the Kouga and Kou-Kamma municipalities, where animals were either infected or pre-emptively vaccinated.
These farms remained under quarantine, with strict movement controls and monitoring in place for at least the next 12 months.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the department said there had been no signs of outward spread after the FMD flare-ups reported at the end of 2024 in Pongola and Mtubatuba.
The affected dip tanks remain under quarantine, and cattle in adjacent dip tanks have been vaccinated to bolster herd immunity in the region.
TimesLIVE
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