By Lloyd Phillips
The RMIS and its partners are wasting no time in getting new private sector-led efforts to combat South Africa’s foot-and-mouth disease scourge, off the ground. In mere days, Phase 1 of activating the operational centre to coordinate these efforts, has reportedly been achieved.
Only last week the Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) announced that it, together with its private sector partners in South Africa’s red meat value chain, would be establishing an operational centre and working group to help tackle the country’s seemingly runaway foot-and-mouth disease.
A statement by the RMIS on Monday afternoon says Phase 1 of its coordinated response to the foot-and-mouth problem, has been implemented.
“To ensure immediate functionality, Phase 1 focuses on establishing the core operational capabilities of the operational centre. This phase lays the groundwork for effective coordination and control for/of:”
- Surveillance – using the national network of currently 177 private-sector ruminant veterinarians for widespread, daily surveillance for foot-and-mouth.
- Reporting – a WhatsApp channel has been added in support of the existing Veterinarian Network communication channel, to ensure rapid, real-time reporting of suspected cases of foot-and-mouth directly to the operational centre.
- Mapping – the RMIS has developed a digital platform to immediately map reported suspected cases of foot-and-mouth. On this central platform, each case’s status will be continually updated to “provide a national bird’s-eye view of the outbreak”. This, in turn, will help guide the operational centre’s decision-making.
- Geo-fencing – the operational centre will support the likes of farmers, auction houses, feedlots and abattoirs to have their operations registered and geo-mapped on the RMIS’s digital mapping platform. This information will help facilitate the appropriate warnings, targeted biosecurity responses and containment, to and with the relevant parties.
- Coordination – the state’s national contingency plan for a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak provides a step-by-step process that must be followed when a suspected case of this disease is identified. In such cases, the operational centre will coordinate this process between all relevant parties, both private and public, to ensure the correct and timeous implementation of the plan.
- Communication – all latest and accurate information about both confirmed and suspected cases of foot-and-mouth will be speedily communicated to all relevant veterinarians via WhatsApp.
- Human resources – a dedicated team has been appointed to manage and operate the operational centre so that real-time coordination is possible. The centre also has a dedicated telephone line.
“In Phase 2, the RMIS, in collaboration with various organised agricultural organisations, plans to introduce a public reporting channel for suspected [illegal/unauthorised/uncontrolled] animal movements.
“This will be followed by Phase 3, which will see the integration of an electronic risk assessment system and a movement permit system into the RMIS digital platform. This too will work in collaboration with various organised agricultural organisation.”
