Foot and mouth disease outbreak in North West
An outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) has been reported in the JB Marks municipality in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district in the North West, the provincial department of agriculture and rural development said on Tuesday.
In the first incident, the department was alerted by a private veterinarian who had visited a farm and saw suspicious signs. The state veterinarian collected samples, which were sent to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute to test for the disease.
Another incident was detected at an abattoir in Madibeng. The clinical signs of the affected animals were missed at ante-mortem inspection but were detected on the slaughter line during the meat inspection process, the department said.
Tissue samples were sent to the laboratory and the results confirmed both SAT 2 and SAT 3 types of the virus. The unslaughtered animals were escorted back to the farm of origin, a feedlot in Ventersdorp, through a Red Cross permit.
'Both farms linked to the outbreak have been put under quarantine, prohibiting the movement of animals and animal products,' the department said.
The department has also identified all the farms that are linked to the Gauteng outbreak and those farms were being sampled for testing. All these farms have been put under precautionary quarantine until the test results are back.
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