WINDHOEK, March 19 — Namibia has detected an outbreak of lung sickness among cattle in the western part of the Kavango region, officials said Friday.
According to Agriculture Ministry Chief Veterinary Officer Albertina Shikongo, farmers alerted veterinary officers after observing some deaths and clinical signs in their cattle.
She said lung sickness was confirmed by the Windhoek Veterinary Laboratory on March 10 March and that the source of infection is under investigation.
“In Africa, lung sickness is known to cause greater losses in cattle than any other disease because it is highly contagious and with a mortality rate of 50 percent,” Shikongo said.
Lung disease, which affects cattle and water buffaloes, is caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides SC, a type of bacteria that attacks the lungs of susceptible animals.
The agriculture ministry has put a complete ban on the movement of live animals around the affected areas until further notice, Shikongo said.
She said surveillance teams have been deployed to the region, located in northeastern Nambia, to assess the extent of the outbreak, and that vaccination of all cattle in the region against lung sickness will be conducted in the next few weeks. (Xinhua)
