Namibia detects foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in second region

Namibia has detected foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the Zambezi Region, making it the second area affected by an outbreak, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform said Sunday.

It comes after cases were reported in the southern Kharas region.

According to a public notification from the ministry, the disease was detected at Kalala Island in Kabe constituency, where veterinary officials observed 20 cattle showing clinical signs on Oct. 5, with all 12 samples collected from the animals testing positive for FMD virus on Oct. 7.

"Emergency vaccination has commenced in the affected area, while intensive surveillance is underway to establish the full extent of the outbreak. Movement of all cloven-hoofed animals and their raw products has been suspended throughout the Zambezi region," it said.

Marketing and trade, including livestock auctions and other animal-gathering events, have also been halted, while slaughter at local abattoirs and informal markets has also been suspended.

FMD in Namibia was first confirmed on a commercial farm in the southern Karasburg State Veterinary District in late September. Following the outbreak, Namibian authorities notified the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and introduced restrictions on the movement and export of cloven-hoofed animals and their products.

The European Union temporarily suspended imports of fresh beef, sheep and goat meat as well as some processed meat products from the country due to the highly contagious livestock disease.

WOAH subsequently suspended Namibia's FMD-free status for the affected zone.