South Africa’s animal authorities are battling an outbreak of a killer disease near the Kruger National Park in the country’s northern Limpopo province, the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs said on Tuesday.
The department said the foot-and-mouth-disease (FMD) outbreak was inside a buffer zone around the tourist attraction set up to prevent the spread of the virus from the park, where it is endemic and permanently carried by the African buffalo.
”An outbreak of FMD was confirmed in cattle at the Matiani dipping tank next to the Punda Maria Gate of the Kruger National Park,” the department said in a statement.
The locality is in the far north-east of the country near the point where the borders of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe converge.
The highly contagious killer virus was observed in late July and has since been confirmed by a state laboratory. Eleven of a herd of 35 cattle were infected.
One of the diseases most dreaded by livestock owners, foot and mouth is a highly contagious viral infection that affects pigs, cattle, sheep and goats. It does not, however, affect humans.
”The authorities expect that the situation can be brought under control rapidly without undue effects on the agricultural industry as a whole,” the department added.
Control measures in the area have been intensified and no cloven-hoof animals or their products may leave the area.
”The detection of positive cases in the buffer zone do not affect the status of South Africa’s FMD free zone without vaccination, as recognised by the International Office of Epizootics [IOE], and thus do not affect the export status of the country,” the department added.
”In line with the protocol, this case has been reported to the IOE.” — AFP
