Mafikeng: In its quest to control the spread of Rift Valley Fever in the province, the North West Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Rural Development, through its Veterinary Services Directorate, had by the beginning of this month, vaccinated a total of 7 660 small stock in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati districts, where outbreaks were reported in March this year.
To support the vaccination programme, the Veterinary Public Health Officers and Animal Health Technicians are continuously consulting with communities and advising them on how to contain the outbreaks.
Dr Langa Madyibi, Director for Veterinary Services in the department, confirms that the department has taken an initiative to encourage farming communities to report any suspicious case to the nearest agricultural offices.
“We are so far pleased by the farmers’ cooperation as most captured cases were reported by them. But we envisage that due to the drop in temperature and hopefully the onset of frost soon, the disease will be curtailed,” said Dr Madyibi.
During his departmental budget vote speech presentation last week, MEC Boitumelo Tshwene assured visiting soccer fans that they are not in danger of contracting Rift Valley Fever, as all measures have been put in place to control the disease.
MEC Tshwene said due to the constant threats of animal disease outbreaks in the province, his department will pay specific attention to vaccination programmes to support livestock projects participating in the Western Frontier Beef Beneficiation Programme and the North West/ Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) Nguni Cattle Development Project. Tshwene said a total of 286 thousand livestock will be vaccinated against anthrax, 16 700 against rabies and 28 000 against brucellosis.
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Rural Development, North West Provincial Government
24 May 2010
