New Outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease

BOTSWANA - A new outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease hase been reported in Botswana.
calendar icon 5 May 2011
clock icon 2 minute read

Dr Kgoseitsile Phillemon-Motsu, Director, Department of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture , Gaborone, Botswana told the OIE World Animal Health Organisation that the outbreak occurred in one of the two OIE recognised FMD free zones without vaccination, which is composed of zones 3c, 4a, 4b, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 18.

The outbreak occurred in zone 6 located in the eastern part of the country.

The outbreak is in a communal area located along an international border to the east.

There is a double cordon fence along the international border and the surrounding zones to the south, west and north.

There are about 200,000 cattle, 40,000 small stock and less than 1,000 pigs. The area is sparsely populated with wild cloven-hoofed animals.

The OIE said that on 29 April 2011, a farmer reported eight cattle with drooling, lameness and swollen interdigital tissue on all feet. On clinical examination by the Department of Veterinary Services, the reported cattle were observed with oral and foot vesicles and erosions, and lameness.

Cumulatively, 4 crushes (an epidemiological unit) have been affected, all located along the international border. The affected crushes are located in the eastern part of zone 6 in a communal area.

The communal area borders to the east with an international border, to the west and north with farms, to the south with zone 7 (the second recognised FMD free zone without vaccination, that remains free) and to the south-west with a communal area. The disease control cordon fences run along the boundaries of the farm, the international border and zone 7.

As a result, a containment zone is established for the affected area. All cattle within this containment zone will be vaccinated and supervised slaughter will commence 30 days after the observation of the last clinical case.

In all there were 100 cases and 320 susceptible cases.

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