An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is spreading quickly in the cattle heartland of the Lower Shire Valley in Malawi, putting at least 70,000 head of cattle at risk.

According to Dr. Ben Chimera, the acting head of Animal Health Services in the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Malawi has not got a vaccine to contain the spread of the disease.

“We have ordered a consignment from Botswana and we expect it to arrive in the country by next week,” he said.

The disease was first noted in the eastern side of Chikhwawa district at the start of October, but Dr Chimera said it has started spreading to other parts of the Lower Shire.

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