WINDHOEK, Oct. 6– Namibia has recorded 127 confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) on 15 farms in the southern Kharas Region, prompting the government to step up containment measures, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said late Monday.
A total of 29,313 animals have been inspected across 68 farms, while 20 surveillance teams and 10 roadblocks have been deployed in the region, she said. The government will establish a containment buffer zone in the Karasburg Veterinary District and strengthen livestock movement controls, she said, adding that it will also repair the Namibia-Botswana border fence and erect veterinary cordon fencing in high-risk areas along the South African border.
“Our immediate task is clear. We must contain the outbreak, prevent its spread and protect unaffected herds, so that normal production and trade can resume as quickly and safely as possible,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said. The outbreak was confirmed on Sept. 23 after routine surveillance detected FMD, with laboratory tests identifying serotype SAT 1, resulting in the suspension of Namibia’s recognized FMD-free status and threatening access to international markets for livestock and meat products.
According to Nandi-Ndaitwah, the southern African nation is engaging the European Union and other trading partners over meat consignments produced before the outbreak was confirmed, Authorities will continue surveillance, testing, livestock tracing and farm inspections, adjusting restrictions according to the disease risk, she said. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
