Curbing the FMD outbreak in the NCA

Desmond Cloete - Namibia, Botswana and Eswatini are the only countries in Africa with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) free zones that are recognised as such by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). This, combined with our CBPP- (Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia) and PPR- (Peste des Petits Ruminants) free status, Namlits, FANMeat and national minimum standards and quality assurance scheme, allows Namibia the luxury to export to any destination globally.The northern communal area (NCA) is separated from the OIE-recognised FMD-free zone by the veterinary cordon fence (VCF) that stretches over 1 200 km from Wêreldend in the Kunene region to the Botswana border along the 20-degrees longitude. The NCA is made up of the protection zone that includes the Kunene (north), Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Kavango West and Kavango East regions (excluding the Ndiyona and Mukwe constituencies). The infectious zone consists of the Ndiyona and Mukwe constituencies in Kavango East and Zambezi.Before 2015 the NCA protection zone was, for almost twenty years, free of FMD outbreaks. However, the risk of having an open border with Angola was always there. The first major outbreak occurred in 2015, with devastating results for formal livestock marketing in the area. The Oshakati export abattoir used to export deboned beef to South Africa through a series of interventions that varied from quarantining cattle, deboning of carcasses, removing of limp nodes and maturation of carcasses to naturalise beef pH.In 2020 another series of outbreaks occurred in the NCA. The first was detected on 28 September at Hoha village in the Ndiyona constituency of the Kavango East region. The directorate of veterinary services (DVS) immediately implemented movement restrictions for the area as part of its control mechanism against FMD spread.Subsequent outbreaks occurred at Shighuru village in Kavango East and Sivara village in Kavango West on 27 October, Ombambi crushpen in Ohangwena on 28 December and Okadhiya crushpen in Oshana on 6 January 2021. The latest outbreak ccurred on 19 January at Ekuli village, Kavango West. These outbreaks have been traced back to Angola.DVS, due to a severe shortage of funds, requested the Meat Board of Namibia (MBN) and livestock industry to assist with the implementa-tion of FMD control strategies. The MBN availed funds under its emergency budget to assist as follows:1. Repair of the VCF The MBN, with assistance from the Livestock Producers Organisation (LPO), mobilised fencing teams consisting mostly of farmers associations along the 616 km stretch from the Oshivelo gate to the Namapanne gate near the Botswana border fence. The VCF was repaired in less than two months as the MBN and DVS provided fencing material, and producers the labour.The MBN appointed a private contractor to repair 130 km of the fence that borders the Tsumkwe and Gam constituencies. The MBN and LPO will apply the same strategy to the VCF that forms part of the southern border of the Etosha game park. This stretch of the fence will be repaired from the Ombika gate westwards towards the Werda gate.2. Appointment of private veterinarians: The MBN appointed private veterinarians to assist DVS with surveillances in the NCA. This is a critical function that helps identify FMD symptoms and provide evidence that the disease is not spreading. It also helps with the inclusion of new outbreak verification. These results assist DVS to lift movement bans after 90 days from the last confirmed outbreak.3. Appointment of casual labourers: The MBN appointed a total of thirty casual workers to assist DVS staff sanitise vehicles and individuals at strategic places along the veterinary cordon fence. Casual workers are currently being deployed to render critical services at the Mururani, Bravo, Oshivelo, Namutoni, King Nehale, Galton, Werda, Ombika/Anderson and Palmwag gates. In addition, the MBN has procured twelve knapsack sprayers and repaired five firefighters that are being used to spray vehicles. Vehicle baths at the Mururani, Bravo, Oshivelo and Werda gates were repaired and put in operation by the MBN. Repairs of the Oshivelo vehicle bath are well under way.4. Assist with vaccination campaign The MBN, at the request of DVS, paid for the repair and maintenance of four trucks and twenty four-wheel-drive bakkies. The vehicles are critical to transport vaccination teams. The ideal is that cattle should receive first and booster vaccines within 30 days to bolster immunity against FMD.The lessons learned from the current outbreak included the realisation that DVS, with assistance of the livestock industry, should develop a proactive long-term FMD strategy that includes operation modalities as well as sourcing of funds. This could be included in the current industry discussion pertaining to the assistance of DVS critical services.In conclusion, preventative measures should be included in a long-term strategy due to the absence of a physical boundary between Namibia and Angola.*Desmond is the Chief Marketing Officer at the Meat Board of Namibia.

Curbing the FMD outbreak in the NCA

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Republikein 2025-12-23

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Curbing the FMD outbreak in the NCA

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Republikein 2025-12-23

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