KZN becomes foot-and-mouth epicentre as government awaits vaccine stock

The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provincial government says a vaccine shortage is hampering efforts to respond to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

KZN has been declared the epicentre, with over 200 confirmed cases in the province alone.

On Tuesday, members of the Provincial Executive Council held meetings with commercial and communal farmers in parts of the province to discuss the outbreak.

Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli says vaccinations will get underway as soon as they receive them.

“We are expecting 1.5 million to arrive in South Africa this week, and a bulk of it will be coming to KwaZulu-Natal. We had a meeting with the National Minister of Agriculture, together with the MEC of Agriculture, Thembeni KaMadlopha-Mthethwa, here in the province, and next week we are expecting 950,000 doses,” Ntuli said.

Ntuli has warned that the outbreak must not be used for personal gain.

“The vaccination is free; no money must be demanded by whoever will be responsible,” he warned.

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