Foot and mouth outbreak in three provinces

05 Apr, 2015 - 00:04 0 Views
Foot and mouth outbreak in three provinces

The Sunday News

AN outbreak of foot and mouth disease has been recorded in Matabeleland South, Midlands and Masvingo.
According to minutes seen by Sunday Business from a farmers stakeholders meeting on foot and mouth disease held in Bulawayo early last month officials confirmed that some places had been affected by the deadly foot and mouth in Matabeleland South.

“Infection in Gwanda North area was contained with no further outbreak cases in the area being reported. Fresh outbreak reported at Bungwe dip tank and is spreading to neighbouring dip tanks. Source of the infection is suspected to be Midlands areas of Neta and Mhondongori. Cattle share grazing and watering area and are in direct contact because of lack of fences,” noted the minutes of the meeting attended by provincial veterinary officers from Midlands and Matabeleland South and North, representatives of abattoirs and farmer organisations.

The minutes said in the Midlands, infection was drifting from Masvingo Province where there is a large number of Buffalo population freely mixing with cattle.

“Mberengwa and Zvishavane are dirty and cattle are allowed to move for direct slaughter at Mudomboyi abattoir. Infection into Shurugwi was because of cattle moving in and out of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) farm which is about 30 000ha and is at the border of Midlands and Masvingo. Two dip tanks are infected in Shurugwi and the whole district is at risk. Vaccinations were finally carried out simultaneously in the two districts with ZNA helping in driving all the cattle out of the farm during the vaccination period,” read part of the report.

Stakeholders at the meeting said there was a need to harmonise vaccinations in Matabeleland South as was the case in Masvingo.

“Police details help in checking slaughter cattle at abattoirs and recently intercepted cattle in Gweru which were destined for direct slaughter at Mudomboyi,” said the report.

According to the minutes, in Matabeleland North, there were no cases and the last outbreak was in Hwange in July 2014.

“All things being equal we will be vaccinating our Lupane or Binga barrier in April or May to stop possible infection from the red zone,” said the report.

The report further said to date 30 000 cattle had been vaccinated.
The stakeholders agreed that farmers should brand all cattle to the dip tank of origin for easy identification and traceability.

“Brand “S” for direct slaughter from the infected zones and “I” for the infected properties. Increase communication between provinces on the exchange of information of infected properties, quarantine areas, and facilitation of inter provincial movements to minimally disrupt business where possible and try and reduce monopoly in the quarantine areas,” said the report.

The stakeholders encourage innovative marketing strategies in the troubled zones such as setting up sale pens, feedlots, marketing groups and abattoirs.

They also advised farmers to maintain the barrier by vaccinating cattle at the edges of the infection every four months.

Contacted for comment, the director of Veterinary Services Department Dr Josephat Nyika said he needed to gather reports from regional officers on the outbreak.

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union Matabeleland North chairperson Mr Winston Babbage called on those moving cattle to put safety measures in place to ensure that the disease does not spread.

“There are some cattle that are being moved from Midlands to Bulawayo and there is a need to put in place bio security measures to ensure that the disease does not spread,” said Mr Babbage.

He said in Matabeleland North they were on alert to ensure that the disease did not affect their livestock.

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