Farm Quarantined: Foot-and-Mouth Disease Threat Hits North West Province

• The South African government has issued a warning about a suspected foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the North West province
• As cattle graze, a farm in Ramatlabama faces quarantine due to serology results, pending results from an ongoing investigation
• Farmers are urged to be vigilant and not let any cattle join their herds or leave to other herds

NORTH WEST - The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform & Rural Development has warned of a suspected foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease in cattle in the North West province.

Media liaison officer and spokesperson for the department, Reggie Ngcobo, said in a statement that, at this point, it is still just speculation based on positive serology results identified in a farm in Ramatlabama under Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality.

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Suspected farm placed under quarantine

Ngcobo said the identified farm has been placed under quarantine while preliminary investigations are underway. He said:

"A follow-up investigation, including sample collection, is underway at the farm in question and surrounding farms and villages."

Farmers in North West cautioned to be observant

Farmers in the North West are asked not to let any new cattle into their herds and not to let cattle from their herd end up on other farms.

"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 blisters and sores in the mouth, feet, teats and mammary glands."

@khula_elc posed the question:

"Why does it look like this disease always visits when the festive season is approaching?"

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@Ldj3232 made this interesting remark:

"Here we go, first chickens and now beef will sky rocket in price. This is all a smokescreen to keep pushing prices up to the point where no one can afford to eat any more."

@f4bettered asked the question:

"Why has no one reported on the foot-and-mouth that has broken out in the ANC?"

@ryelkf asked:

"Ja, keep employing uneducated ANC boys and wondering why everything is falling apart, It's been 30 years of this. When do we start learning?"

SA poultry industry hit by bird flu

Previously, Briefly News reported on the outbreak of the highly pathogenic H7N6 and H5N1 avian influenza viral infection, the worst to ever hit South Africa. The poultry industry experienced an economic carnage that will take years to recover.

The outbreak saw more than 20% of the country's chickens culled. The shortage of chickens sent South Africans into a state of panic as the country experienced a surge in the price of eggs due to the demand.

Source: Briefly News