Particle.news
Download on the App Store

South Africa Launches Nationwide FMD Vaccination Drive as Minister Seeks Disaster Declaration

The 10-year strategy pairs repeat inoculations with tighter movement controls to curb outbreaks across eight provinces.

Overview

  • The department will vaccinate herds immediately across affected areas and repeat within three months, targeting 100% coverage in feedlots and dairy, 90% in commercial herds and 80% in communal herds.
  • High-risk zones, including parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, will get biannual campaigns, with priority efforts in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape and continued protection-zone vaccination.
  • Nearly two million animals have been vaccinated since April last year as the outbreak spans eight provinces, with the Northern Cape still without a reported case.
  • A 24-member task team of government and private veterinary specialists will steer the rollout alongside expanded surveillance of wildlife, markets and abattoirs.
  • A cabinet memorandum will request a state-of-disaster declaration to enable policing of movement controls, the key to curbing spread, with authorities targeting a 70% reduction in high-risk provinces within 12 months.