Zimbabwe suffers new FMD outbreak
Zimbabwe’s Agriculture Minister Joseph Made said on 31 May that foot and mouth disease (FMD) had broken out in the south of the country, affecting thousands of cattle. He said the area, on the border with Botswana had been quarantined with restrictions on cattle movements. Animal disease control teams had also been deployed to check the foot and mouth. Mr Made said the disease was suspected to have been transmitted to cattle after they came into contact with infected buffaloes. A large part of the area is forest land populated by wild animals.
The official said Botswana, which has a large beef industry, was providing vaccines to help Zimbabwe quickly grapple with the outbreak, and prevent it from spreading to its territory.
Mr Made said Zimbabwe was also working jointly with Mozambique and Zambia to control buffalo movements along their common borders to prevent outbreaks of FMD.
