South Africa calls for urgent action to curb latest FMD outbreak

CAPE TOWN, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The South African government has called for immediate action to effectively curb the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in some parts of the country.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture said that the latest FMD outbreak in South Africa originated from a livestock auction held in Utrecht, KwaZulu-Natal Province, in February.

Positive cases have since been identified in Newcastle and Bergville, also in KwaZulu-Natal Province, while authorities have obtained records of all animals present at the auction and have launched trace-forward operations.

The Department of Agriculture confirmed last week that KwaZulu-Natal Province had recorded 147 active FMD cases. Despite containment efforts, new cases have emerged outside the established disease management areas (DMA), prompting the department to order an expansion of DMA boundaries.

In Mpumalanga Province, cattle on one farm tested positive for FMD antibodies. Although the animals showed no clinical signs of illness, the farm has been placed under quarantine, and further investigations are underway.

In the statement, the agriculture department issued renewed warnings to livestock buyers and sellers nationwide, reminding them of the disease's incubation period -- typically between 2 and 14 days -- during which animals may appear healthy despite being infectious.

"Any suspicious clinical symptoms must be reported to the local State Veterinarian immediately and such animals must not be moved under any circumstances," it added. Enditem