FMD: 189 cases confirmed in Zambezi

Kenya Kambowe RUNDUOf the over 41 000-strong cattle population in the area currently affected by the recent outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), 189 cases have been confirmed in the Zambezi Region.This was confirmed by chief veterinary officer within the agriculture ministry, Dr Albertina Shilongo, who yesterday provided an update on the ministry’s efforts to address the outbreak.With the outbreak detected on 3 June at Kasenu village in the Kasiku area, Shilongo said the disease has spread to Mashika village, 3 km away.Shilongo said 181 cattle of 600 from six kraals at Kasenu village have tested positive for the disease, while eight cattle at Mashika tested positive.VaccinationsTo address the issue, Shilongo said the ministry embarked on a vaccination campaign where 40 281 cattle in the affected area have been vaccinated.The total population of cattle in the affected area stands at 41 066.“We have started with intensive surveillance so that we determine the extent of the outbreak,” she said.“We are vaccinating all the cattle in the affected area and we are also vaccinating in the whole Zambezi Region as part of the routine annual vaccination campaign. We have our teams on the ground and they are continuing to vaccinate.”Shilongo said they, however, experienced some challenges in terms of getting to affected areas because the area is a flood plain and they had to rely on speed boats. BanA ban has been placed on all cloven-hoofed animals out of and through the area.The movement of cloven-hoofed animals in, within and through the rest of Zambezi is still allowed, with exception of the controlled area. The same goes for other commodities.The movement of raw meat and raw milk and livestock feed is allowed within the controlled area.The recent outbreak follows just more than a month after Namibia lifted all FMD movement restrictions on cloven-hoofed animals and their products in the FMD Protection Zone in April.FMD outbreaks have affected nine constituencies since last September.kenya@namibiansun.com

FMD: 189 cases confirmed in Zambezi

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

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FMD: 189 cases confirmed in Zambezi

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

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