Steenhuisen announces ‘aggressive’ new FMD strategy
The government is rolling out an aggressive new vaccination programme to protect the national herd from a damaging wave of foot-and-mouth disease.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen says they are preparing to deploy two million more vaccine doses early next year, which will start with the hardest-hit provinces of KZN, Gauteng, the Free State, Mpumalanga, and North West.
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Steenhuisen says a surge in new infections in KZN has forced the government to escalate its response, warning that South Africa is not winning the battle against the disease.
KZN remains the epicentre, recording 180 of the country’s 274 unresolved cases despite months of vaccination.
Officials say uncontrolled animal movement is driving new infections, with recent flare-ups in Kokstad and Estcourt.
In a briefing on Wednesday, the minister stated that dairy farmers in Kokstad, Dundee, Underberg, and Dannhauser have been the most severely affected, as new cases continue to emerge.
Steenhuisen said South Africa is also working to reduce its reliance on imported vaccines by expanding local manufacturing capacity.
But he warns the crisis will persist unless animal movement laws are enforced, calling it the single biggest threat to containment.
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