Xavier Radio Ug News 24 7
A University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)- based Animal Health and Science expert has called on cattle farmers to adhere to safety rules after their animals have been vaccinated against Foot-and-Mouth disease (FMD).
Dr Ntuthuko Mkhize has been reacting to the first phase of the mass vaccination rollout, where the KwaZulu-Natal province has been allocated 200 thousand doses of vaccines following a severe outbreak of the disease.
In yesterday’s media briefing, the KZN MEC for Agriculture, Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa, issued a stern warning to individuals involved in the illicit movement of animals amidst the high prevalence of the Foot-and-Mouth disease.
KZN, which is the epicentre of the outbreak of this disease in the country, started vaccinating the cattle against the disease yesterday.
Dr Mkhize says it is vital that farmers practise safety measures to avoid the spread of the disease.
VIDEO | KZN begins cattle foot-and-mouth vaccinations:
“My advice here is that we still continue practising those bio security measures that we have been practising, we do not allow movements that are not controlled, that are not permitted for the animals, because remember we are having here a situation where there are three strains that we are dealing with. So even though animals have been vaccinated, you will find that this vaccine is actually introducing them to strain 1 and then strain 2 and three we do not have any protection against, so it’s important that animals are still limited in terms of the movement.”
Meanwhile, Dr Mkhize also urged farmers to work with the government to try to eradicate this disease, which might have severe economic consequences for the country.
“This FMD disease is a state-controlled disease, and by virtue of its name, it means that farmers, once a case has been identified on their properties amongst their animals, they need to report this to the state, and the state takes over the eradication of the same disease. So it is important for us as farmers to respect and givethe government space to help us eradicate this disease because this disease has very serious consequences economically and also in terms of affecting the health of the animals.”
VIDEO | Foot & Mouth Disease | KZN to start vaccination on the south coast:
www.sabcnews.com, https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/ukzn-expert-farmers-must-follow-strict-fmd-vaccine-safety-protocols/
