FMD Discovered in Botswana Cattle

BOTSWANA - The country's veterinary authorities have reported an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in cattle in the Maun region.
calendar icon 9 March 2011
clock icon 1 minute read

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) received an immediate notification yesterday, 8 March. The outbreak is reportedly within a fenced subzone in Ngamiland district, an FMD vaccination zone. Livestock in the area are farmed under a communal grazing system. Only cattle showed clinical signs of FMD.

A total of 250 showed signs of susceptibility to the disease, out of which 14 cases were identified.

An ox was found with necrotic interdigital lesions on all four feet without any oral lesions on post-mortem inspection at a local abattoir located in Ngamiland, zone 2d, an FMD vaccination zone. Other nine animals originating from the crush showed no similar post-mortem findings. On trace-back to the crush of origin, 14 more cattle were found with oral and feet lesions from 15 to 22 February 2011.

Zone 2 is sub-divided into four subzones; which are 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, from north to south. The affected area was scheduled for routine vaccination in February 2011, but due to heavy rains the vaccination campaign was postponed. Animal and animal products movement protocol before the reoccurrence of FMD did not allow movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their derived fresh products out of the zone. Therefore, the reoccurrence of FMD in zone 2d does not affect the FMD free status in other zones.

The source of the outbreak remains inconclusive.

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