Foot and mouth outbreak in South Africa

[andybob]

SOUTH AFRICA - 12 outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) has been confirmed in the Kwazulu-Natal region of South Africa.


Dr Bothle Michael Modisane, Chief Director Partnerships of the Department of Agriculture alerted the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) late last week.

The affected area is partially situated in the FMD Free Zone of South Africa and all exports of cloven hoofed animals and animal products will be suspended with immediate effect, except for products that have been fully processed to inactivate FMD virus.

No clinical signs of disease were observed, therefore sero-positive results were counted as cases of infection. The number of animals sampled was used as the number of susceptible animals.

Of 473 animals tested, 224 were infected.

Vaccination by State Veterinary Services will be allowed only in the affected areas of KwaZulu Natal.

The epidemiological units (village = diptank) in the Northern part of KwaZulu Natal are dip tanks used for FMD inspection.

Liquid-phase blocking ELISA and non-structural protein (NSP) ELISA tests are done on all samples. All the NSP ELISA tests were negative.


TheCattleSite News Desk

 

[Whitewing]

Foot and mouth.....every ranchers nightmare. I recall watching video of the steps the Brits took to control it many years ago. I recall watching one guy cry as they slaughtered and burned his herd of dairy cattle.

 

[andybob]

There were some suicides as well Whitewing, it was all very tradgic. The difference is that in Africa we have been depending on vaccination and isolation instead of a mass cull.

 

[Whitewing]

There were some suicides as well Whitewing, it was all very tradgic. The difference is that in Africa we have been depending on vaccination and isolation instead of a mass cull.

I can believe there were suicides Andybob. While I suspect that the British government stepped in to help many of those folks (those who didn't have some type of insurance) salvage their businesses, the emotional stresses of it all must have been enormous.

Roughly what year was that, anyway? Well heck, now my interest is piqued and I'm going to google it.

 

[andybob]

This weekend just passed was the 10 th Anniversay of the last UK outbreak, the virus escaped from a government laboratory.

 

[Whitewing]

This weekend just passed was the 10 th Anniversay of the last UK outbreak, the virus escaped from a government laboratory.

In the wiki article I read they mentioned the fact that a vile of the virus was missing from a government lab but didn´t confirm or deny that it had ever been the source of that outbreak. Was that indeed the confirmed source?

 

[Just Ranchin]

This really scares the sh$t out of me

 

[andybob]

This weekend just passed was the 10 th Anniversay of the last UK outbreak, the virus escaped from a government laboratory.

In the wiki article I read they mentioned the fact that a vile of the virus was missing from a government lab but didn´t confirm or deny that it had ever been the source of that outbreak. Was that indeed the confirmed source?

The strain was confirmed as being the Purbright strain, it was discovered that a waste water drain from the facilty had ruptured and the virus spread from this leakage.