Drakenstein Municipality supports efforts to contain foot-and-mouth disease in Gouda

The Drakenstein Municipality said its public safety department is assisting the provincial department of agriculture in containing a confirmed case of foot-and-mouth disease in Gouda.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease is a controlled animal disease in South Africa. While it poses no risk to humans, it is highly contagious among cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. The virus spreads easily through direct animal contact or indirectly via contaminated vehicles, equipment, clothing, or feed.

On Tuesday, November 6, the department confirmed that its veterinary service team found a case of the disease on a farm near Gouda and that the affected property had been placed under quarantine, alongside two other properties in the Velddrif and Bredasdorp areas, where cattle were believed to have come from.

All properties with cloven-hoofed animals within a 10km radius of the affected area had also been quarantined, the department said. Veterinary teams were conducting inspections and surveillance on these farms.

The department further said an investigation into the transport company involved was underway, and all properties that have had contact with this company in the past 30 days will be traced and inspected. 

Law enforcement officers from the Drakenstein Municipality were engaging with small-scale farmers and owners of stray animals to ensure compliance and safety, the municipality stated.

“We urge residents and visitors to cooperate with authorities and follow all instructions to help prevent the possible spread of the disease. Your safety and the health of our livestock remain our top priority,” the municipality's statement read.

A detection of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), widely known as 'bird flu,' in farmed ducks was confirmed by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture in August. At the time, the department said the outbreak was identified in July near Paarl.