Contingency Plan for outbreaks of foot and mouth disease
This section is applicable to all locations where FMD is suspected and/or confirmed. These measures must be implemented by the responsible state veterinarian.
| 4.1 |
Any suspicion of FMD must, immediately (within the same day), be reported to State Veterinary Services by any person who suspects the incidence of the disease. This is a legal requirement according to Section 11 and Regulation 12 of the Animal Diseases Act 35 (Act 35 of 1984). Personal contact should be made with the state veterinarian and, in case the responsible state veterinarian is not available, the provincial director or the office of the national Director Animal Health must be notified directly. |
General Duties of Owners
| 4.2 |
An owner who reasonably suspects that an animal is infected with FMD must— |
| (a) |
immediately report such suspicion in terms of section 11 of the Act; |
| (b) |
immediately isolate the affected epidemiological unit; |
| (c) |
prevent the movement of animals, animal products, equipment or potentially contaminated material; |
| (d) |
restrict access to the premises; and |
| (e) |
allow access to State Veterinary Services in terms of section 16 of the Act. |
Duties of the State Veterinary Services in respect of a suspected case of FMD (s9(2)(g)
| 4.3 |
The property must be verbally placed under quarantine with immediate effect. The client must be verbally informed of his obligations in terms of Section 11 of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act no 35 of 1984), and that no animals, animal products or potentially contaminated equipment or material (e.g. Clothing, disposables, feed) may be removed from the properties on which these animals are found, access of vehicles and visitors must be minimised and subject to disinfection upon leaving the infected premises, and persons in contact with suspect animals must refrain from contact with any cloven-hoofed species. The verbal quarantine must be followed up by a written quarantine notice issued by the State Veterinarian. |
| 4.4 |
The State Veterinarian must visit the property, without undue delay, within 24 hours of notification, to among others: |
| (a) |
issue a written quarantine notice; |
| (b) |
do an epidemiological investigation; |
| (c) |
trace-back and trace-forward to determine if any related properties should be quarantined as a precaution; |
| (d) |
collect samples, packaged appropriately and send them for laboratory testing; |
| (e) |
provide guidance on implementation of biosecurity measures; |
| (f) |
advise the owner or responsible person to move animals away from the property borders, especially where borders are shared with other properties that keep susceptible animals or public roads; |
| (g) |
provide guidance on removal of any products from the property; |
| (h) |
determine the epidemiological unit involved that will be subject to quarantine measures; and |
| (i) |
issue an instruction to local Chiefs within traditional areas to stop issuing movement permits once a quarantine notice has been issued. |
| 4.5 |
The state veterinarian will notify the Provincial Director and DoA and report the outbreak on the DoA reporting system or submit an SR1 indicating suspicion of FMD together with the sample submission forms, to [email protected].
|
| 4.6 |
The FMD disease outbreak investigation should follow best practices to ensure that all the necessary information is collected for the epidemiological investigation. |
Public Audit Act, 2004
