Mozambique: President urges more research into foot-and-mouth disease

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Mozambique: President urges more research into foot-and-mouth disease

8:21 CAT | 22 Feb 2019

Photo: O País

Mozambique’s president Filipe Nyusi has urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to boost scientific research in order to end the foot-and-mouth disease that has been affecting cattle.

“We call their attention for the need to invest in research, because in many countries these problems have already been addressed”, he said in Maputo, during the opening ceremony for the ministry’s new headquarters.

The foot-and-mouth disease “slightly” affected Mozambique’s meat and pork last year, he added.

Up to the end of June 2018 the disease had been detected in Nampula, Tete, Gaza and Maputo districts. But later it was also detected in Panda district, Inhambane province, and in Guro and Sussundenga districts, in Manica.

The country’s law already provides that cows cannot be transported within 50 km of sites affected by the foot-and-mouth disease.

In South African Republic the disease was reported on January 7 this year in Limpopo province.

Since then, Mozambique has banned imports of meat and derivatives from South Africa, and authorities have promised to reinforce the monitoring of all animal products.

Foot-and-mouth disease affects animal husbandry, but it has no impact on public health. It is endemic in several parts of the world, namely the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and South and Central America.

Source: Lusa