Pretoria - The ban on the movement of all cloven-hoofed animals and their products in KwaZulu-Natal has been lifted, except in the Umkhanyakude, uThungulu and Zululand districts.
This comes after serological samples collected during clinical surveillance tested negative for the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in most areas west of the N2.
While the ban has been lifted, the farming community and the general public still have to exercise caution and notify their nearest veterinary centres about their intention to move cloven-hoofed animals and their products.
The shutdown of animal movement in uThungulu stems from positive samples retrieved in the north of the Umfolozi River. The surveillance has been moved to the south of Umfolozi to establish the furthest point of infection.
The areas of concern are currently the south and south-western areas such as Mbonambi, Ntambanana, Nkandla, eShowe, Kranskop and Melmoth. The results are due to be confirmed this weekend.
The Veterinary Operations Centre (VOC), based in Umkhanyakude, is also waiting for results regarding the status in the Zululand areas of Ulundi and Nongoma.
However, results from Vryheid, Ladysmith, Port Shepstone, Howick, Ixopo and Durban have come back negative.
The infection was first detected in Umkhanyakude late last month.
The area between the west of the N2 and the east of the R66, the outermost western boundary, has been declared a buffer zone.
The VOC will be establishing roadblocks in that area to prevent any westward infection. This 25-km wide boundary will be gazetted as a control area.
The Nkonkoni roadblock will be moved to Magudu where the R66 joins the N2. Other roadblocks will be set up on the back routes leading to the N2 and R66, up until the N2 in the south.
Dr Botlhe Modisane, spokesperson for FMD in the Department of Agriculture, said control measures were mainly focused on clinical surveillance aimed at determining the furthest point of spread of the disease before any further actions could be implemented.
"To date, the westward spread of the disease has been determined and officials are hard at work to determine the southward spread of the disease," said Modisane.
Additional roadblocks will be placed at strategic points for the purpose of controlling the movement of animals and animal products.
"Farmers and the general public in the affected areas are requested not to move animals and animal products at this stage and to report any suspicion of animal disease to the veterinary authorities without delay. Everyone's cooperation is required to prevent possible spread into the rest of the country," said Modisane.
Vaccination will begin once the southern and south-western boundaries have been defined and vaccinated animals will be branded.
Only limited movement of animals and certain processed animal products within the delineated area will be allowed.
In response to claims that the infection originates from neighbouring countries as a result of the collapsed red line, Modisane said FMD is a trans-boundary animal disease (TAD), whose occurrence will not be limited by the existence of a fence but is dependent upon the prevailing environmental factors.
"The current outbreak of FMD in KZN is presumably caused by a less virulent virus, hence no clinical signs consistent with previous outbreaks of typical FMD in the country have been observed.
"The disease could not, therefore, be detected timely on clinical signs and this has resulted in the spread of the disease. The Department of Agriculture in KZN deserves to be congratulated for picking up the disease under the circumstances," he said.
