Case of foot-and-mouth disease confirmed in Limpopo
The farm is located in a previously FMD-free zone and has since been placed under quarantine.
Sores in the mouth of animals suffering from foot-and-mouth disease causes reluctance to eat and lameness. Image: Farmer’s Weekly website
The department of agriculture, forestry & fisheries said on Wednesday that a positive result for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has been confirmed on a farm which is located in an FMD-free zone.
This comes after veterinary services were alerted to signs and symptoms of FMD found in a herd of cattle on a farm in the Molemole district on Friday, reports Polokwane Review.
Samples were collected and FMD was confirmed on the same day by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Transboundary Animal Disease Programme. The farm is located in a previously FMD-free zone and has since been placed under quarantine, said spokesperson for the department, Reggie Ngcobo.
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He added that further investigation to identify the strain and the likely origin of the virus is underway.
Measures have been put in place to prevent direct or indirect contact between affected and non-affected animals on the farm, and investigations into the locations to which the disease may have been spread continue.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease which affects cattle, pigs (domestic and wild), sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals. Signs of disease in animals may include depressed animals, sores in the mouth of animals causing reluctance to eat, and lameness. The disease does not affect human beings and it is safe to consume products of cloven-hoofed animals, such as meat and milk.
Any suspected case of the disease in animals must be reported to the local state veterinarian immediately.
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