Published Date: 2021-07-25 14:15:56
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Foot & mouth disease - Zimbabwe: (MI) cattle, serotype not typed, OIE
Archive Number: 20210725.8542765
FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE - ZIMBABWE: (MIDLANDS) CATTLE, SEROTYPE NOT TYPED, OIE
A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org
Date: Thu 22 Jul 2021
Source: OIE-WAHID [edited]
https://wahis.oie.int/#/report-info?reportId=36526
Foot-and-mouth disease virus, Zimbabwe
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General information
Report type: Immediate notification
Started: 15 Jul 2021
Confirmed: 21 Jul 2021
Reported: 22 Jul 2021
Reason for notification: Recurrence
Last occurrence: 30 Dec 2019
Causal agent: Foot-and-mouth disease virus
Subtype: Not typed
Nature of diagnosis: Clinical, laboratory
This event pertains to a defined zone within the country.
Outbreak location 1: Grassland farm, Gweru, Midlands
Date of start of the outbreak: 15 Jul 2021
Epidemiological unit: Farm
Affected animals
Species / Susceptible / Cases / Deaths / Killed and disposed of / Slaughtered or killed for commercial use / Vaccinated
Cattle / 162 / 41 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1095
Affected population: Cattle of varying age groups on the same farm.
Outbreak location 2: Browns farm, Gweru, Midlands
Date of start of the outbreak: 15 Jul 2021
Epidemiological unit: Farm
Affected animals
Species / Susceptible / Cases / Deaths / Killed and disposed of / Slaughtered or killed for commercial use / Vaccinated
Cattle / 1026 / 22 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 3376
Affected population: Cattle of varying age groups sharing the same grazing and watering points on a self-contained farm.
Epidemiology
Source of the outbreak(s) or origin of infection: Illegal movement of animals.
Epidemiological comments: Clinical cases were reported from two neighboring farms. Investigations are currently ongoing to ascertain the source of the infection. Early investigations suggest that the outbreak may be linked to illegal cattle movement due to either cattle rustling or speculation by cattle traders.
Control measures at event level
Domestic control measures applied: Surveillance outside containment and/or the protection zone, movement control inside the country, surveillance within containment and/or the protection zone, traceability, vaccination in response to the outbreak(s), quarantine, screening
Diagnostic test results
Laboratory name and type / Species / Test / Test date / Result
Central Veterinary Laboratory, (CVL), ZWE (national laboratory) / cattle / ELISA for the detection of antibodies against non-structural proteins (NSP ELISA) / 21 Jul 2021 / positive
[The location of the outbreaks can be seen on the interactive map included in the OIE report at the source URL above.]
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[The following information and abstract come from an article by Guerrini et al. (citation follows):
Guerrini L, Pfukenyi DM, Etter E, et al. Spatial and seasonal patterns of FMD primary outbreaks in cattle in Zimbabwe between 1931 and 2016. Vet Res 50, 73 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-019-0690-7
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Abstract
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Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an important livestock disease impacting mainly intensive production systems. In southern Africa, the FMD virus is maintained in wildlife and its control is therefore complicated. However, FMD control is an important task to allow countries access to lucrative foreign meat market and veterinary services implement drastic control measures on livestock populations living in the periphery of protected areas, negatively impacting local small-scale livestock producers. This study investigated FMD primary outbreak data in Zimbabwe from 1931 to 2016 to describe the spatio-temporal distribution of FMD outbreaks and their potential drivers. The results suggest that: (i) FMD outbreaks were not randomly distributed in space across Zimbabwe but are clustered in the Southeast Lowveld (SEL); (ii) the proximity of protected areas with African buffalos was potentially responsible for primary FMD outbreaks in cattle; (iii) rainfall per se was not associated with FMD outbreaks, but seasons impacted the temporal occurrence of FMD outbreaks across regions; (iv) the frequency of FMD outbreaks increased during periods of major socio-economic and political crisis. The differences between the spatial clusters and other areas in Zimbabwe presenting similar buffalo/cattle interfaces but with fewer FMD outbreaks can be interpreted in light of the recent better understanding of wildlife/livestock interactions in these areas. The types of wildlife/livestock interfaces are hypothesized to be the key drivers of contacts between wildlife and livestock, triggering a risk of FMD inter-species spillover. The management of wildlife/livestock interfaces is therefore crucial for the control of FMD in southern Africa.
"In Zimbabwe, FMD has been occurring at least since the end of the 18th century and the role of wildlife in spreading the virus has been suspected for a long time. Beef trade with Europe in the 80's and 90's required intensive FMD control. However, the deterioration in the socio-economic situation witnessed in Zimbabwe at the end of the last century, resulted in a drastic reduction of veterinary services' ability to control the disease, and eventually, in an upsurge of FMD outbreaks. As a consequence, the control of FMD outbreaks was reduced to ring vaccination around infected cattle populations. FMD outbreaks are known to be located in specific geographic areas and to be driven by abiotic factors, but, so far, apart from early mapping by Condy, no analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution of outbreaks was implemented to better understand the dynamic patterns of this disease and its drivers.
"In the present paper, a spatio-temporal analysis was implemented on FMD outbreak data from 1931 to 2016 to describe the spatial heterogeneity and the risk period(s) of FMD outbreaks. The proximity of protected (conservation) areas and the seasonality of FMD outbreaks, both factors that could contribute to FMD dynamics in Zimbabwe were also analyzed. This study should contribute to identify hotspots and drivers associated with FMD outbreaks, suggests mechanisms for disease emergence at the wildlife/livestock interface and is expected to provide useful information to decision makers for tailoring risk-based surveillance of FMD in Zimbabwe".
Zimbabwe belongs to the FAO's Pool 6 - Southern Africa, which includes 8 countries: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe. The serotypes present are SAT 1, SAT 2 and SAT 3. (O, A only in Angola and north Zambia as spill-over from pool 4). http://www.fao.org/3/cb4541en/cb4541en.pdf. - Mod.CRD
HealthMap/ProMED map:
Zimbabwe: http://healthmap.org/promed/p/171]
