Published Date: 2022-08-31 11:53:37 BST
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Foot & mouth disease - South Africa (08): cattle, spread, control strategy
Archive Number: 20220831.8705325
FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE - SOUTH AFRICA (08): CATTLE, SPREAD, CONTROL STRATEGY
A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org
Date: Tue 30 Aug 2022
Source: Agriorbit - Red Meat Producers Organization(RPO) press release [edited]
https://agriorbit.com/fmd-reported-at-nine-more-facilities/
The Red Meat Producers Organization (RPO) took note of the latest monitoring report on the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak as released by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
The latest updates on the FMD outbreak, according to the monitoring status report dated 29 Aug 2022, indicate that an additional 9 facilities are now infected with FMD.
This brings the total new outbreaks to 127 cases, as seen below:
- KwaZulu-Natal, from 73 to 80.
- Gauteng, from 3 to 6.
- The Free State, from 7 to 24.
- Mpumalanga, one new outbreak.
These additional outbreaks have occurred during the current lockdown period, which is an indication of how much effort must be made to combat the further spread of the disease.
The outbreaks occurred during the period when there is a ban on the movement of cattle, and it can be speculated what the total number of outbreaks would have been if the ban had not been introduced.
The RPO is on record that the biosecurity measures on farms are now of utmost importance and that each producer must take responsibility for his/her own farming enterprise by way of self-regulation.
The RPO once again appeals to producers not to bring in animals on their farms of which the health status cannot be confirmed. The mission statement of the RPO is to build the profitability and sustainability of producers at ground level, and the organisation, therefore, does everything in its power to negotiate the best possible outcome for producers by way of constructive liaison with the government.
The progress and growth of the red meat industry is a major priority for the RPO. Therefore hard work is being done to protect the national herd against animal diseases and to cope with the current outbreaks.
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Communicated by:
ProMED Rapporteur Mahmoud Orabi
[The current FMD epizootic is the 3rd stage in an event that started in 2021, initially by FMDV serotype SAT2, later joined by SAT3. The 4 provinces, mentioned above, had been preceded by Limpopo and North West provinces. The disease is considered to have started in Limpopo's infected zone (see map at https://www.dalrrd.gov.za/vetweb/epidemiology/Disease%20Maps/FMD%20zones%202014.pdf).
In a previous RPO press release, issued immediately after the official announcement, on 16 Aug 2022, of a total ban on the movement of cattle in South Africa (20220817.8705081), the drastic move was explained and supported, while stating the following: "It is also clear that we will have to follow a totally new strategy in order to control the disease. The RPO is of the opinion that South Africa will have to reconsider its status as a country without vaccination and that there will probably have to be a move to a country with limited vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease. The implication of this is that South Africa will have to start producing its own vaccines and that the free market will have to play an important role in the production of these vaccines. It is also essential that the laboratory and testing capacity must be expanded." (https://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/ban-on-movement-of-cattle-has-serious-repercussion)
In an effort to curtail the spread of the disease, vaccination campaigns were initiated in affected provinces earlier this year (2022). Maps presenting the vaccinated locations in each province are available on pages 5-6 of the document "FMD outbreak surveillance update report", signed by South Africa's director of Animal Health, dated 16 Aug 2022 (https://www.dalrrd.gov.za/docs/media/2022-08-16%20FMD%20Outbreak%20Follow-up%20Report.pdf). The report also addresses the chronology of the event and provides additional background information. - Mod.AS
ProMED map:
South Africa: https://promedmail.org/promed-post?place=8705325,179]
