Foot and Mouth in hand

2004-07-24 18:50

Johannesburg - The spread of Foot and Mouth Disease in Limpopo is under control, the province's agriculture department said on Saturday.

FMD infection was detected at a cattle dipping tank south of the Letaba River in the province on June 26, department spokesman Steve Galane said in a statement.

He said intensive surveillance of the entire Mopani district revealed more cases of the disease to the north of the river.

To prevent the spread of the disease, they were strictly controlling the movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their products in the district and the area of Limpopo province adjacent to the Zimbabwe border and Kruger National Park, he added.

Galane said the vaccination and surveillance measures they instituted had slowed down further spread of the infection since July 7.

Vaccination of the cattle in the affected area commenced soon after the disease was confirmed by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, he said.

"An additional surveillance area with a 1,530km radius around the quarantine area was created to ensure that the status of the FMD free zone of the rest of South Africa would not be compromised."

- SAPA