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Midlands Reporter
ZVISHAVANE and Mberengwa districts in the Midlands have been hit by foot-and-mouth disease which is affecting hundreds of cattle, provincial veterinary officer, Dr Thomas Sibanda has said.
He said the Veterinary Services Department has swiftly moved in to limit the movement of cattle into and out of the affected areas.
“We have a foot-and-mouth outbreak in the province. At the moment the outbreak is limited to Zvishavane and Mberengwa and we are working extra hard to make sure the situation is under control,” he said.
Dr Sibanda said the disease was first detected in the province in mid July at Danga dip tank in Mberengwa.
He said a farmer from that area brought infected cattle from Maranda in Mwenezi communal area, Masvingo province.
Dr Sibanda said they have since treated most of the dip tanks in Mberengwa.
“We have since vaccinated almost all dip tanks in Mberengwa district and with regards to that district I can say the situation is now under control though we cannot rule out the fact that the disease may resurface since it is caused by a virus,” he said.
Dr Sibanda said Zvishavane got the disease from Chivi district in Masvingo through illegal movement of infected cattle by farmers between the two districts.
Zvishavane and Chivi districts share the same border and in certain areas they share the same dip tanks.
He said his department has done initial vaccination in most dip tanks in Zvishavane district and are only waiting to give the final treatment known as a booster to the vaccinated animals by the end of the month.
He said they have put Mberengwa and Zvishavane under quarantine to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Dr Sibanda warned farmers in the province to stop illegal movement of cattle as this could only worsen the situation.
“I am advising all farmers in the affected areas to stop the illegal movement of cattle within the province. If you are caught, you will be prosecuted and your cattle will be shot dead and burnt without any compensation,” said Dr Sibanda.
He also urged farmers to urgently report any beasts that show any signs of the disease since it was easy to treat the disease in its early stages.
The veterinary expert, however, lamented lack of chemicals for vaccination as one of the major setbacks in their fight against foot and mouth disease.
“We are faced with the shortage of chemicals as our parent ministry has said it does not have the money. This is delaying the whole process. Our situation is worsened by poor transport system since most of our vehicles are old and frequently break down when we go out for vaccination programmes,” he said.
Dr Sibanda said they have put Shurungwi and Chirumanzu districts on high alert as the two share borders with Chivi district where the disease emanated from.
Online Reporter