Botswana tightens airports control against FMD

The Botswanan government announced Tuesday that it is in the process of placing officers at airports to inspect all products as a measure to minimize the spread of the foot and mouth disease (FMD). Botswanan Assistant Agriculture Minister Oreeditse Molebatsi revealed this when addressing a Ntlo ya Dikgosi (House of Chiefs in Parliament) meeting. But he said the chances of tourists transmitting the foot and mouth disease virus are very minimal because there is no possibility that they will get into contact with FMD infected animals. There was report in early March that a total of 250 cattle showing signs of susceptibility to the disease in Ngamiland district, northwest of the capital Botswana. On May 5, a confirmed outbreak of FMD was reported in the Matsiloje area, which is in the veterinary disease control zone 6 in eastern Botswana. The disease spread to neighboring zone 7 around the Botswana-Zimbabwe border at Ramokgwebana in June. The Botswanan government has adopted various measures such as a complete countrywide movement ban of all cloven-hoofed animals and their derived fresh products, closing all cattle slaughter facilities and killing and destroying FMD-infected animal. The Ministry of Agriculture announced "significant progress" made in the control of the FMD in October, as the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has approved the establishment of containment zones in zone 6 and zone 7, which were hardest hit by the disease. Other zones that lost their FMD status during the outbreak respectively have been reinstated. Molebatsi said the move paved way for Botswana to export cattle and beef to any country interested in buying beef from Botswana. Molebatsi also said disinfection is carried out at airports from time to time when the risk is high.