Limpopo department vaccinates cattle against foot-and-mouth disease
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In Limpopo Province, South Africa, officials from the agriculture department are actively vaccinating cattle against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in villages near Kruger National Park.
The department is working to address failures that contributed to a recent widespread FMD epidemic. Animal health technician Innocent Muleya and his team visit villages each weekday, vaccinating cattle that have already received an initial dose about six months prior. Farmers receive vaccination schedules via WhatsApp groups and bring their animals to communal crush pens.
Muleya uses a vaccine produced by Biogénesis Bagó, an Argentinian company, costing around R46 per dose. While the vaccine is most effective with regular boosters, officials are focused on consistent administration and proper storage. Solomon Chauke, a farmer with ten cattle, noted the vaccinations help protect his herd and he has not experienced FMD in his animals.
The Limpopo department reports vaccinating over a million cattle, roughly 75% of the province’s population, with booster shots now underway, and plans to extend vaccinations to pigs, goats, and sheep. The department aims to replicate this success across all nine South African provinces to control the spread of FMD.
