Lesotho outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease

Maseru News: The Lesotho government confirmed on the 24th that an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has recently occurred in the northern Buta-Butai region of the country. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Nutrition issued a statement saying that on the 18th of this month, at a livestock station in Maherase town, Buta-Butai, some cattle exhibited symptoms consistent with foot-and-mouth disease cases. Quarantine personnel collected samples from 17 cattle for testing, confirming that 6 of them tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease antibodies. The statement said that additional samples were sent to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reference laboratory in Botswana for virus typing and vaccine matching. Relevant authorities have implemented strict quarantine measures on the affected cattle herds, strengthened controls on the movement of ruminants in the area, and conducted epidemiological investigations. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Nutrition also urged livestock farmers, traders, and the public to remain vigilant. If symptoms such as excessive salivation, lameness, or lesions in the mouth or hooves are observed in cattle, sheep, or pigs, they should be reported immediately to nearby veterinary clinics. Lesotho is located in Southern Africa and is entirely surrounded by South Africa. The South African government recently declared foot-and-mouth disease in the country a “national disaster.” The current outbreak began in April last year in KwaZulu-Natal province and later spread to Free State, Houten, and other regions. The South African government announced a national foot-and-mouth disease control strategy in January this year. It is unclear whether the outbreak in the Buta-Butai region of Lesotho was imported from South Africa. Foot-and-mouth disease is a viral infectious disease transmitted among cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, and pigs. The main symptoms in infected animals include fever, blisters, and ulcers in the oral mucosa and hooves. While less contagious to humans, people who have frequent contact with infected animals may also become infected. (Xinhua)