South Africa’s Department of Agriculture has confirmed a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) on a commercial farm in the Free State province, bringing the national tally to 270 outbreaks across five provinces in past two years.
The latest case was detected on 10 July in the Moqhaka Local Municipality within the Kroonstad state veterinary area.
Department spokesperson Joylene Van Wyk said the affected property had been placed under quarantine two days earlier, with immediate containment measures – including livestock vaccination and surveillance – put in place.
“Trace-back activities are ongoing to determine the source of the infection while farms in the surrounding 10-km radius are undergoing surveillance to determine the possible extent of the spread,” she said late Monday.
The latest Free State outbreak adds to a growing national crisis.
KwaZulu-Natal province remains the hardest-hit province, with 191 reported outbreaks, of which 172 remain active.
The Eastern Cape province has recorded 40 outbreaks, while Gauteng has reported 32 cases since May.
North West and Mpumalanga provinces have four and three active outbreaks, respectively.
Of the 270 total outbreaks, only 21 have been resolved, leaving 249 still active.
The department has urged farmers and stakeholders to cooperate fully with veterinary teams as containment efforts intensify.
JN/APA