Drakenstein Municipality has officially been placed under immediate veterinary quarantine after a case of foot and mouth disease (FMD) was recently diagnosed within the area.
The quarantine was approved and implemented by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s state veterinarian within the Boland region. According to Drakenstein Municipality the state veterinarian for the Boland issued the formal quarantine order in terms of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act 35 of 1984) and the Animal Diseases Regulations of 26 September 1986, as amended.
The measure was taken to avoid any further spread of FMD after the highly contagious viral illness was detected in Vlakkeland (Mbekweni) in Paarl on 6 February. Paarl Post previously reported the confirmation of FMD came after a private veterinarian from Wellington brought their suspicions under the attention of the state veterinarian of a possible case in Mbekweni on 4 February after the owner of the cattle reported it.
Shortly thereafter the necessary teams visited the premises to take lab samples, which were flown to Pretoria on the same day. The results of the positive FMD case was confirmed after two days.
Provincial government takes action
A 21-point plan has since been implemented to help curb the spread of this infectious disease causing painful sores in the mouth and around the hooves of cloven-hoofed animals. These include cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. The plan includes, among other things, movement control including 24/7 border controls and a permit system and recovery involving cleaning operations and monitoring quarantine areas.
At the moment all cloven-hoofed animals within Drakenstein are suspected of the infection. The municipality assures residents that the infection does not affect humans, horses or domestic pets. Neither does it pose a public health or food safety risk.
The quarantine prohibits the movement of animals and potentially contaminated materials such as feed, equipment or carcasses, unless it is authorised by a special permit issued by the state veterinarian.
Drakenstein farmers supported
In the meantime, Drakenstein’s Safety and Community Services Directorate is working closely with the provincial department and other relevant authorities to ensure the effective implementation of control measures.
Drakenstein’s Executive Mayor, Stephen Korabie, said the municipality is taking the matter seriously.
“We understand the seriousness of the matter and will be supporting our farmers and agricultural sector as best we can. We take note of the order issued and are working very closely with the state veterinarian in the area. The municipality has also been assisting farmers by providing water for the animals every day,” said Korabie.
Residents, farmers and livestock owners are urged to comply with all biosecurity measures, avoid unnecessary movement of animals and adhere strictly to directives issued by state veterinary authorities.
Authorities have emphasised that cooperation from the community will be critical to contain the disease and protect the local agricultural sector. The quarantine will remain in place until it is officially lifted by the state veterinarian.
Nationwide FMD vaccinnation
During the State of the Nation Address by President Ramaphosa he also touched on how government will assist to help curb the further spread of FMD across the country. He said while the agricultural sector is thriving FMD is damaging South Africa’s economy, which resulted in export bans, trade restrictions and devastation of herds.
“We have decided to vaccinate the national herd of 14 million cattle. This requires 28 million vaccines over the next 12 months.The state will facilitate the acquisition of the vaccines centrally to ensure that we get the right vaccine for the particular strain of the virus in South Africa. We will work closely with the private sector to enable efficient rollout and most importantly, we will ensure that commercial, private and communal farmers have immediate access to vaccines.”
Ramaphosa described the situation as a “pandemic” and says he has established a task team consisting of experts in the field, together with the Minister of Agriculture and his department. This team will report back to him on a monthly basis on the progress of the containment of the infection.
“We have classified foot and mouth disease as a national disaster and will be mobilising all necessary capabilities within the state to deal with this crisis.”
On 15 February a total of 450 heads of cattle were vaccinated against FMD in Fisantekraal in Cape Town as part of the Western Cape Government’s vaccination drive.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said: “This vaccination drive is a proactive step to protect cattle in this area. No cases of FMD have been detected in this Fisantekraal herd. But we are taking every precaution because we want to protect jobs and livelihoods. We will be receiving 200 000 vaccine doses over the coming weeks and will push to vaccinate all high-risk herds. The province will also request permission to procure its own vaccines.”
