The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Madibeng, Dr Kenneth Kaunda District and JB Marks Local municipalities.
“In the first incident, the Department was alerted by a private veterinarian who had visited the farm and saw suspicious signs. The State Veterinarian collected samples, which were sent to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute (OVI) to test for the disease. Another incident was detected at an abattoir in Madibeng. The clinical signs of the affected animals were missed at an ante-mortem inspection but were detected on the slaughter line during the meat inspection process. Tissue samples were sent to the laboratory and the results came back confirming both SAT 2 and SAT 3 types of the virus,” said Dr Langa Madyibi, Director of Veterinary Services of the department.
Both farms linked to the outbreak have been put under quarantine, prohibiting the movement of animals and animal products.
Any suspected case of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in susceptible animals must be reported to the local state veterinarian immediately. FMD affects cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals (domestic and wild). The major clinical features of the disease include fever, lameness, and the appearance of vesicles and sores in the mouth, feet, and teats.