Officials
say
that
while
Zimbabwe
has
so
far
contained
infections
to
high-risk
districts
along
wildlife
corridors,
the
situation
remains
fragile
amid
suspected
new
cases,
vaccine
shortages
and
fears
the
disease
could
spread
further,
threatening
livestock,
trade
and
farmer
livelihoods.
The
concerns
were
raised
during
a
livestock
conference
held
at
the
Zimbabwe
International
Exhibition
Centre
on
Thursday
under
the
theme Advancing
Livestock
Value
Chains
for
Economic
Development.
Presenting
on
the
impact
of
disease
outbreaks
and
responses,
Chief
Director
of
Veterinary
Services
in
the
Ministry
of
Agriculture,
Pious
Makaya,
said
Zimbabwe’s
FMD
cases
remain
largely
confined
to
ecological
“hotspots”
near
wildlife
conservancies
and
national
parks,
where
cattle
and
wild
animals
interact.
“Almost
every
SADC
country
is
affected,”
he
said,
adding
that
South
Africa
had
reported
infections
across
all
its
provinces
to
the
World
Organisation
for
Animal
Health.
“Zimbabwe
is
in
a
better
position
because
infections
are
mainly
in
Regions
Four
and
Five
along
conservancies
and
national
parks,”
he
said.
Despite
this
relative
containment,
Dr
Makaya
warned
of
a
more
dangerous
strain,
known
as
Type
O,
recently
identified
in
Mozambique
and
Zambia.
“The
most
concerning
issue
now
is
Type
O,
which
is
highly
virulent,”
he
said,
adding
that
there
were
fears
it
could
spread
through
Zimbabwe’s
eastern
border.
He
noted
that
while
the
Zambezi
River
provides
a
natural
barrier
with
Zambia,
movement
across
the
Mozambican
border
remains
a
higher
risk.
Dr
Makaya
said
about
316
000
cattle
are
currently
under
FMD
quarantine,
preventing
their
participation
in
local,
regional
and
international
trade.
“Four
FMD
districts,
with
a
census
of
316,000
cattle,
are
under
quarantine
and
excluded
from
trade
in
live
animals
and
their
products,”
he
said.
He
added
that
suspected
cases
continue
to
emerge
in
different
parts
of
the
country,
including
a
recent
alert
in
Goromonzi
District.
“Suspected
cases
remain
unconfirmed
until
laboratory
testing
is
complete.
We
only
report
to
the
World
Organisation
for
Animal
Health
when
cases
are
confirmed,”
he
said.
Most
confirmed
cases,
he
said,
are
in
districts
such
as
Mangwe
District,
which
borders
Botswana.
He
warned
that
the
situation
could
worsen
if
outbreaks
spread
to
central
regions.
“It
is
fortunate
that
infections
are
not
in
the
centre
of
the
country,”
he
said,
adding
that
areas
such
as
Bikita,
Gokwe
and
Gutu
had
previously
been
brought
under
control,
although
sporadic
outbreaks
still
occur.
Efforts
to
fully
contain
the
disease
have
been
hampered
by
vaccine
shortages.
“Normally
we
follow
initial
vaccination
with
a
booster
after
a
month,
but
we
could
not
do
that
due
to
limited
vaccine
supplies,”
Dr
Makaya
said,
noting
that
Zimbabwe
is
expecting
new
doses
from
Botswana.
Authorities
hope
that
once
vaccines
arrive,
they
will
resume
mass
vaccination
campaigns,
particularly
around
conservancies
and
national
parks.
In
the
meantime,
the
government
has
introduced
containment
measures,
including
movement
restrictions,
roadblocks
and
tighter
monitoring
of
livestock
transport.
Officials
are
also
working
to
reduce
contact
between
livestock
and
wildlife
by
constructing
fencing
in
areas
such
as
Gonarezhou
National
Park,
with
plans
to
extend
similar
measures
to
Hwange
National
Park.
Dr
Makaya
said
awareness
campaigns
and
training
on
biosecurity
are
also
being
intensified
among
farmers
and
stakeholders
across
livestock
value
chains.
“We
must
maintain
our
current
status
and
prevent
further
spread,”
he
said.
“If
we
secure
vaccines
and
strengthen
our
response,
we
can
resume
trade
soon.”