Gauteng ramps up fight against foot-and-mouth disease outbreak

The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is ramping up efforts to contain the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Seventy thousand vaccine doses have been allocated to the province from a national procurement of one million.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, MEC Vuyiswa Ramokgopa said her department has secured the additional doses from Argentina as part of an intensified national response.

Gauteng now has 228,000 confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease.

The department siad its vaccination teams will now work at full capacity with teams deployed simultaneously across key veterinary zones, including Randfontein, Jermiston, and Tshwane state veterinary areas.

Ramokgopa explained that the province is taking a targeted, risk-based and data-driven rollout strategy.

“Our vaccination drive is guided by risk and data. We are prioritising infected farms near buffalo populations and areas where there are newly confirmed cases with active transmission. We’re also focusing on communal grazing lands and dairy farms close to confirmed outbreaks.”

Ramokgopa described the escalation as a decisive step in controlling the outbreak.

“This marks a major escalation in our response and is a critical step towards stabilising the situation in Gauteng.”

She added that containment measures are now fully in place, with law enforcement agencies mobilised and ongoing engagement with farmers and other stakeholders to help prevent further spread of the disease.

ALSO READ:

Treasury, Agri Dept working to unlock funds for foot-and-mouth disease vaccines

Agri Dept concerned about foot-and-mouth disease spread in Free State