Social media is overflowing with pictures of blistered mouths, drooling snouts and dead livestock.

This has been the reality for farmers across the country since the outbreak of the deadly Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak last year.

What is FMD?

FMD is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus found in bodily secretions (urine, saliva, faeces, milk) of infected cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs and goats.

Infected animals show the following symptoms:
• Blisters in the mouth
• Sores on dairy cows’ teats
• Drooling from the mouth and / or snout
• Unexplained death of pigs and calves
• Loss of hooves or claws

According to an information piece published by the Department of Agriculture, the virus can be spread by people via their clothing, shoes, hands and car tyres.

Why it matters locally

A Stats SA Census of Commercial Agriculture in 2017 reported that the livestock sector consists of more than 26,000 commercial farms. A further report from a Stats SA Agricultural Survey reported that livestock farms employ approximately 272,000 people with 1.5 million dependents.

Thus, FMD has an enormous impact on farmers, their employees and livelihoods.

A restriction on animal movements from the Disease Management Area (DMA) forces farmers not to move their animals into or out of the restricted zones. Animals and animal products are only allowed if a legal movement permit accompanies them.

Furthermore, farm visits, livestock auctions and -shows are affected by FMD as livestock numbers plummet.

What people should do

Farmers are doing everything they can to contain the disease by reporting symptoms to their local herd veterinarian and / or state veterinarian.

The public is urged to rather stay away from farms. Restaurants and venues in the DMA are putting up signs for their patrons to dip their shoes in disinfectant or take off their shoes, as this is one of the main modes of spreading the disease.

What authorities are doing

FMD is a state controlled disease, which means it is the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development’s responsibility to vaccinate animals and monitor the situation.

Private veterinarians do their best to assist their government counterparts, as well as their clients, in offering advice and supporting their efforts.

Authorities are trying to counter the disease with the movement protocol put in place; hopeful that this will be effective in stopping the spread of FMD from the transportation of infected animals.

The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us on our WhatsApp Channel