Mochudi — Authorities will today launch a mass vaccination campaign targeting about 55 000 cattle in Kgatleng East, to intensify efforts to contain Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in the district.
Speaking in an interview, Ministry of Lands and Agriculture FMD coordinator, Dr Odireleng Tholowane said the primary objective of the current response plan was to prevent the disease from spreading into neighbouring disease-free regions.
To execute the rollout, Dr Tholowane said 15 to 20 teams would be deployed starting from Tlokweng all the way to Leshibitse on the eastern side of the A1 Road, eventually pushing toward the Dibete veterinary checkpoint.
"Vaccinations will be carried out from Ramotswa to Dibete, but for now we are concentrating on the first phase, which covers the eastern side of the road," he explained, noting that surveillance teams would simultaneously assess the western side to ensure that the virus had not crossed over and thwarted containment efforts.
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Before administering the shots, he said veterinary teams would inspect animals for sores to determine how long they had been infected and the cattle would undergo three rounds of vaccinations administered 28 days apart.
Alongside the vaccination drive, officials are establishing physical barriers and movement controls along affected routes to curb unnecessary travel and prevent the virus from moving into clean areas.
Authorities are reviewing 39 gates between Phakalane and Phala Camp to determine which checkpoints will be manned on the western side of the road, while extension workers have launched house-to-house public awareness campaigns.
To tackle illegal smuggling, law enforcement and security patrols are actively monitoring the district to stop unauthorised livestock movements and the illegal transport of beef across barriers.
Dr Tholowane further emphasised that government could not fight the outbreak alone, thus called on farmers to cooperate by presenting their cattle for vaccination, keeping animals kraaled and strictly observing biosecurity measures, localised zoning laws and movement restrictions.
"We expect Batswana to understand what is expected of them both as a nation and as farmers," he said, urging the public to immediately report any suspected signs of FMD.
He also expressed frustration that many citizens were ignoring official updates, noting that numerous public inquiries for information that had already been published demonstrated that 'many people are not taking the time to read the material issued to them'.
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