Windhoek:Over 43,000 cattle have been vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Namibia's Zambezi and //Kharas regions as part of ongoing efforts to control the outbreak.

According to NAMPA, 42,286 cattle have been vaccinated in the Zambezi Region, and 1,296 in the //Kharas Region. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, provided updates during the ministry's second weekly FMD briefing. The outbreak was confirmed on Kalala Island in the Zambezi Region on October 6, 2026, and in the //Kharas Region on September 23, 2026.

By October 21, no new cases had been reported outside the designated disease management area on Kalala Island in the Zambezi Region. In the //Kharas Region, 131 positive cases have been recorded across 18 infected farms, with the outbreak contained to the Karasburg State Veterinary District.

Surveillance within a 50-kilometre radius of the index farm has been completed, covering 93 farms, with 18 confirmed as infected. The vaccination campaign in //Kharas began on October 17, with 19 teams tasked with vaccinating approximately 18,000 cattle. By Wednesday, 1,296 cattle on 25 farms had been vaccinated, with the remaining cattle expected to be vaccinated in the next two weeks.

Muyunda emphasized that vaccination is crucial in managing FMD, reducing livestock susceptibility to infection and limiting transmission. He urged livestock owners to comply with mandatory vaccination directives under the Animal Health Act of 2011, warning that non-compliance could constitute an offence.

Currently, there are 18 stationary roadblocks and veterinary checkpoints in the //Kharas, Hardap, Khomas, and Otjozondjupa regions to enforce livestock movement restrictions.

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