Durban: In response to the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in KwaZulu-Natal, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen has announced the extension of the province’s Disease Management Area boundaries to curb further outbreaks.
According to South African Government News Agency, the outbreaks of FMD in KwaZulu-Natal have not been successfully contained, with new cases recently detected in the Newcastle area.
The disease has now spread beyond the initial Disease Management Area declared in 2021, when outbreaks of the SAT2 FMD strain first emerged in the province. The latest measure aims to control the movement of cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, sheep, and goats, and their derived products in affected areas.
No cloven-hoofed animals, their products, or genetic material may be moved from, to, or within the Disease Management Area unless authorised by a state veterinary permit and in full compliance with the stipulated conditions of such a permit. The updated Disease Management Area boundaries will be officially declared in the Government Gazette in the coming days. The Disease Management Area has now been extended to local municipalities including Big Five Hlabisa; Mtubatuba; Nongoma; Ulundi; Umhlabuyalingana; Jozini; Pongola; Abaqulusi; Mfolozi; uMhlathuze; Mthonjaneni; Nqutu; Nkandla; uMlalazi; and Mandeni Local Municipality.
Partial municipalities covered by the Disease Management Area include specific portions of Emadlangeni, Newcastle, Dannhauser, Endumeni, Msinga, UMvoti, Maphumulo, Ndwedwe, and KwaDukuza. The department has reiterated that movement control measures, originally declared in October 2022, remain in place nationwide, and these control measures have been included again in the new Government Gazette notice.
These measures require that any movement of cattle, sheep, or goats must be accompanied by an owner declaration confirming the animals’ origin and health status; and that the recipient of the animals at the destination must provide a signed undertaking ensuring the animals will be isolated for at least 28 days before integration with the main herd. The department emphasised that Section 11 of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act No. 35 of 1984), places a legal obligation on all animal owners and farm managers to take all reasonable steps to prevent their animals from becoming infected and to prevent the spread of diseases.
Essential biosecurity measures include limiting or postponing the introduction of new animals onto farms, only introducing animals from known, disease-free sources with a valid health declaration, preventing direct contact between farm animals and those outside the farm, maintaining secure farm boundaries and restricting access to livestock areas, and minimising human and vehicle access to farms, with proper disinfection protocols in place.
FMD is classified as a controlled animal disease under the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act No. 35 of 1984), which mandates specific control measures, such as isolation and movement restrictions, enforced by Veterinary Services. Any suspicious clinical symptoms, such as salivation, blisters in the mouth, limping, or hoof lesions, should be reported immediately to the local State Veterinarian, and such animals must not be moved under any circumstances.