South Africa’s National Department of Agriculture (NDA) on Tuesday confirmed a case of foot and mouth disease in the north-eastern part of the country between the Limpopo River and the Kruger National Park.
The confirmation resulted from ongoing surveillance in this buffer zone, where six cases had been detected before.
Veterinary officials investigated suspected cases and the foot and mouth disease laboratory at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute confirmed the diagnosis.
”The buffer zone is under constant surveillance with twice yearly vaccination of all cattle and strict movement control of all cloven-hoofed animals,” the NDA said.
Land Affairs and Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza said the national and provincial agriculture departments would intensify the usual control measures in the area where the cases had been detected.
”The case occurred in the foot and mouth disease Control Area and thus does not affect the export status of the Free Zone of South Africa,” Didiza added.
Foot-and-mouth disease is highly contagious and causes blisters between the
hooves and in the mouth of cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, goats,
buffalo and many herbivore species. – I-Net Bridge