North hit by new wave of Foot and Mouth – Movement of all live cloven-hoofed animals
The complete movement of all live cloven-hoofed animals within and out of Disease Management Areas (DMAs) has been banned with immediate effect, following confirmed cases of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) in the northern parts of the country.
The directorate of Veterinary Services under the Agriculture Ministry this week announced that new FMD cases have been detected at Okadhiya crush-pen in Okatjali constituency of Oshana region on 6 January and at Ombambi crush-pen of Okongo constituency in Ohangwena Region on 28 December 2020.
Both incidences were confirmed by Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) in Windhoek, Chief Veterinarian officer, Albertina Musilika-Shilongo said in a statement.
“In line with the Animal Health Act, Act 1 of 2011, apart from Olukonda Constituency which has been declared as an infected area, both Okatjali and Okongo constituencies are also now falling under the same category,” she added.
The regions of Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Oshana, Omusati and Kunene north which are part of the FMD protection zone are now DMAs.
According to Musilika-Shilongo all previously issued permits into, within and out of the whole DMAs are hereby cancelled and recalled and all transit of live cloven-hoofed animals through the above mentioned regions is strictly not allowed.
Meanwhile, Musilika-Shilongo said raw meat and other animal from FMD free zones and also from an export abbattoir in the Zambezi Region into the FMD protection zone are permitted.
“FMD surveillance aimed at establishing the extent of the outbreak in all above-mentioned regions has been intensified and farmers are requested to bring their animals for inspection at nearest crush pen whenever announcements are made by veterinary officials,” she added.
Musilika-Shilongo urged farmers and the general public to report any suspicious livestock movement in their area as this constitutes illegal movement .
“All suspected FMD cases should be reported the nearest State Veterinary Offices as soon as possible in order to contain the disease,” she concluded.
