South Africas Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has urged farmers and livestock owners in all provinces to limit the movement of cloven-hoofed animals as far as possible.
This comes in the wake of an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) on five farms in Humansdorp and East London in the Eastern Cape.
Cloven-hoofed animals should not be moved unless it is absolutely necessary, considering among others that the East London farm sourced animals from multiple origins. This will allow the department to find and quarantine further undetected, affected properties to prevent any further spread of the disease, the department said.
The significance of the incubation period for FMD cannot be overemphasised, the department added. This is the period in the early stages of infection when animals appear to be healthy but are infectious without yet showing clinical signs of disease.
The investigation into the origin and extent of the FMD outbreak in the Eastern Cape is ongoing, the department said.
Clinical signs of FMD were observed on the first reported farm and samples were collected immediately on April 30. Since then, clinical signs of FMD were found on four more farms in the Humansdorp area, and one in the East London area.
The Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Laboratory in Pretoria confirmed that the samples had tested positive for the virus SAT3, in serology and PCR tests. Virus identifications by sequencing have identified the same SAT3 virus on these positive farms.
Various steps have been taken, including the placement under quarantine of locations confirmed to be positive for FMD by the Eastern Cape Provincial Veterinary Services. A full epidemiological investigation is under way to identify the possible origin and any other properties that could be at risk, the department said.
Immediate neighbours and all linked locations have been placed under precautionary quarantine, pending clinical and serological investigation to determine their FMD status. Cattle and sheep on the affected farms were vaccinated against FMD to reduce the viral load on these farms.
The department urged farmers to observe biosecurity on their farms and to protect their own herds from becoming infected, in compliance with Section 11 of the Animal Diseases Act, which imposes a duty on all animal owners and managers to prevent and contain disease infection.
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