WINDHOEK, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has detected foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the Zambezi Region, marking the second region affected by the outbreak after cases were reported in the southern Kharas Region, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform said Sunday.
The disease was detected at Kalala Island in Kabe Constituency, where veterinary officials observed 20 cattle showing clinical signs on Oct. 5. All 12 samples collected from the animals tested positive for FMD virus on Oct. 7, according to a public notification from the ministry.
The ministry said emergency vaccination had commenced in the affected area, while intensive surveillance was underway to establish the full extent of the outbreak.
Movement of all cloven-hoofed animals and their raw products has been suspended throughout the Zambezi Region. Marketing and trade, including livestock auctions and other animal-gathering events, have also been halted, while slaughter at local abattoirs and informal markets has been suspended, it said.
The Directorate of Veterinary Services has activated the national FMD contingency plan and established roadblocks to enforce movement restrictions, while allowing slaughter at export abattoirs under commodity-based trade for quarantined cattle with satisfactory traceability.
The latest detection comes as Namibia intensifies containment efforts in the southern Karasburg Veterinary District, where Agriculture Minister Inge Zaamwani recently inspected control operations and met affected farmers.
Construction of a veterinary cordon fence along farms bordering the Orange River has commenced and is expected to be completed within four months, the ministry said in a separate statement on Sunday.
Construction of another fence around the containment zone is expected to begin during the week of Oct. 12, it added.
Vaccination teams are also preparing to deploy to the Karasburg outbreak epicenter, with vaccination expected to begin once schedules are agreed upon by relevant stakeholders.
The ministry urged livestock owners to comply with animal movement restrictions, cooperate with veterinary officials, and report suspected cases to the nearest state veterinary office. ■