Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
CATTLE in Gweru District have been placed on indefinite quarantine following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Somabula area.

Cattle movements and all cattle sales in Gweru District have been cancelled while contact tracing of all cattle that moved out of the area is being intensified.

Dr Jairus Machakwa, director of Veterinary Field Services in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, confirmed the development but was quick to say that the situation is under control.

“Gweru District has been placed on an indefinite quarantine following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease at Brown and Grassland farms in Somabula. All cattle sales have been cancelled and cattle movements have been banned. More than 90 farms in the district are under surveillance,” he said.

Dr Machakwa said FMD is an outbreak even if it’s one beast that has been affected.

“A number of cattle at Brown and Grassland farms that have been affected. We are taking stock of all cattle in the district so that we contain the situation. At the same time, we have been following up on all cattle movement out of Gweru District and such cattle have been inspected and the results show that there is no outbreak in other areas where the cattle were moved to,” he said.

Dr Machakwa said the Ministry of Finance had released funds which saw his department sourcing FMD vaccines worth US$445 000 to ensure that the infectious disease does not spread.

“The situation is under control and we have adequate stocks of the FMD vaccine. The Ministry of Finance released funds and we sourced FMD vaccines worth $445 000. There is therefore no cause for farmers to panic because we are able to respond to any outbreak,” he said.

Dr Machakwa said there were roadblocks to stop illegal movement of cattle.

FMD is the most contagious disease known to cattle. The disease, which does not affect humans, causes lesions and lameness in cattle and sheep.

The disease is caused by a virus and is spread mainly through cattle to cattle transmission.

In cattle, the affected beast may develop sores, blisters on the feet, in the mouth and on the tongue.

Other signs may include fever, shivering, lameness and affected cows produce less milk. Dr Machakwa said FMD is a very sensitive economic disease that has the potential to devastate the country’s meat exports.

At the turn of the new millennium, Zimbabwe’s export quota of beef to the European Union (EU) was banned after an outbreak of foot and mouth hit most parts of the country.