KZN closes in on FMD vaccination target

The KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has vaccinated just over 80 000 cattle against foot and mouth disease (FMD) across uMzinyathi District as at Wednesday, 2 September.

uMzinyathi is one of the last two districts in KZN to receive this much-needed relief.

Declared a national disaster earlier this year, the FMD outbreak has caused widespread economic disruption due to strict controls on the movement of animals, the international ban on the sale of animals and animal products, and the closure of livestock auctions.

Numerous mass vaccination drives led by the department’s veterinary services have helped ease farmers’ fears.

Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa eagerly participated in the provincial cabinet’s Operation Sukuma Sakhe (OSS)/District Development Model (DDM) programme, which aims to engage directly with communities on the ground, listen to their grievances, fast-track solutions and unlock bottlenecks impeding service delivery.

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“We have to prioritise agriculture because most people’s livelihoods here depend on it.

“The vaccination programme is progressing well in uMzinyathi District, and we hope to be done by 12 September. We have vaccinated 44 000 animals since we started last Friday, 30 August.

“We will then move to the last remaining district – Amajuba,” said the MEC.

Since the first vaccination drive in uGu District, the DARD has moved swiftly to inoculate 1.8 million head of cattle with two vaccine types – BioGenesis Bago and Dollvet.

Apart from vaccinations, the MEC has directed her Veterinary Services unit to ensure communal livestock are also supplemented with vitamins, particularly during the winter season, to boost their immune systems.

uMzinyathi vaccination statistics:
uMvoti: 27 130
Msinga: 54 094

The veterinary teams have since moved to Nquthu and eNdumeni, and will be inoculating animals until Saturday, 12 September.

Phone: 033 3559100
Physical address: 1 Cedara Road, Cedara, Pietermaritzburg 3200
Postal address: Private Bag X9059, Pietermaritzburg, 3200
Website: www.kzndard.gov.za