WINDHOEK – The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry says it has successfully contained the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) recently detected at the Ivilivinzi and Mashikili villages in the Kabbe Constituency in the Zambezi Region.
Permanent secretary in the agriculture ministry, Joseph Iita, yesterday confirmed that the outbreak was successfully stopped after the first signs of FMD were reported on August 5 last year.
“Since the detection of the outbreak, areas within 40km of Ivilivinzi and Ikumwe were designated as protection zones. Restriction on livestock movements and movement of other potentially infectious materials within and from the region to other regions were put in place since the beginning of the outbreak. All cattle in the Zambezi Region were protected by vaccination against FMD. Constant and intensive FMD surveillance has been ongoing to detect any further outbreaks,” Iita explained.
Iita said awareness campaigns for farmers and the general public in the affected areas and in the rest of Zambezi were also implemented. He said all indications are that the outbreak of FMD in the previously affected areas has been successfully contained since the last case was observed on August 17 last year. “This led to the decision to lift the restrictions that were imposed in the region with immediate effect. This means that livestock may now move within the Zambezi Region under cover of an official veterinary movement permit issued by the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) for various purposes such as for sale, quarantine, slaughter and exchange,” Iita noted.
He said it also meant that potentially infectious materials such as skins and game trophies may now move out of the region after the DVS supervised treatments and quarantine for 30 days and also covered by health certificates and movement permits issued by the DVS.
By Deon Schlechter