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JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 8 (Reuters) – A highly contagious FMD, a threat to the cattle industry, has been detected in a district in northern Limpopo province in South Africa, the country said Tuesday.
Positive laboratory results for viral disease, which causes lesions and lameness in cattle and sheep, have been obtained in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, on the border with Zimbabwe.
"Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious viral disease that affects livestock and has a significant economic impact," said the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in a statement.
FMD does not affect the human population but is a threat to hoofed animals – such as cattle, goats and sheep.
The Department of Agriculture has stated that the World Organization for Animal Health has temporarily suspended the status of FMD free country in South Africa, but that exports continue because the affected cattle did not come from commercial producers.
"We quickly quarantined the area, so it does not affect commercial farming, which will be a danger to us, consumers and exporters," said the spokesman of the company. agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Khaye Nkwanyana.
The affected area is in quarantine and investigations are underway to verify the results and determine the extent of the outbreak, the department said. (1 $ = 13.9481 rand) (Report by Tanisha Heiberg, edited by Ed Osmond)
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