FMD | Practical biosecurity advice from North West vets

Veterinarians in the North West are concerned that no steps have yet been taken to restrict the transport of livestock in the North West to combat the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

By Suzanne Venter

“Auctions remain open and the reasoning is that FMD will remain in the area, but I disagree. There are buyers from all over the country,” says Carmen Nel, a veterinarian from the Lichtenburg area.

She says she has seen in the past few weeks how a herd of cattle looks healthy one day with no signs of FMD and a day or two later has symptoms and suddenly becomes ill.

Carmen and another veterinarian from Coligny, Henco Nel, called on farmers to take biosecurity and herd health seriously and implement it.

“I know people need to have an income, but they don’t realise they are playing with fire. This is an explosive situation and biosecurity must be a priority,” says Carmen.

Practical Tips to Protect Herds

Both veterinarians say it is important to remember the virus is not only spread through saliva, but also through vectors (such as birds). That is why it is especially important to apply good biosecurity measures.

“We see cattle are definitely more likely to become infected when they graze near busy roads,” says Henco.

They know of cases near Stella in North West where cattle grazing near roads have now tested positive for FMD.

Henco says farmers should rather move their cattle more inland, away from areas where there is traffic and trucks drive past. However, according to him, there are still cases where farmers have moved their cattle further away from the main roads to isolated land, where positive cases occur.

“In such cases, we suspect the virus is transmitted by birds that, for example, bathe in a water trough where positive cases occur and then fly to other cattle troughs and contaminate the water. But you will still be better off if you stay away from main roads,” he says.

Also read: FMD | Vaccine still coming – ‘Keep your farm gates closed!’

Vehicles on Your Land

“Don’t just allow any truck or bakkie to come and go as they please near your farm and herd. For example, there could be mud on the tires or on the underside of the vehicle. If there is saliva in the mud, the virus can be transferred to a farm where there is no FMD,” says Henco.

They say it is extremely important that all equipment and vehicles, including bakkies, be disinfected before they come near your livestock or after they have been near your livestock – not just the tires, the entire vehicle.

“I am still shocked that almost none of the farmers I visit disinfect my bakkie. Especially the underside of the bakkie and inside. Even if people just come to you for coffee, their vehicles must be disinfected before and after, otherwise the virus can be transmitted,” says Carmen.

“As much as possible, I try to treat the positive herds at the end of the day so that I can shower and change clothes before going to the negative herds,” says Henco.

“According to the regulations, you have to avoid negative herds for at least three days after being in contact with FMD, but that is not always practically possible,” he says.

Also read: FMD | How can we keep animals nourished, hydrated and strong enough to recover?

Boost Herd Health

Carmen says it is important to ensure your livestock are in good condition, because the stronger they are, the better their chance of fighting off FMD if they become infected.

“Make sure all your livestock are vaccinated against other diseases, such as lumpy skin disease, and dip them against ticks, because you don’t want the animals’ bodies to have to deal with additional stress. That energy needs to be saved to fight FMD if they do contract it,” says Carmen.

Both say it is important to give your animals good nutrition to make them strong. “For animals that are thin, I would recommend production lick, just to gain weight, because it also helps to strengthen their immune system so that they have a better chance of fighting off the virus,” says Henco.

Carmen says most farmers in the North West have had good rain and currently have enough grass for their animals to eat. “The important thing is that animals should be exposed to as little stress as possible.”

Also read: Municipalities also have legal responsibilities to help curb FMD

Strengthen Immunity

Carmen and Henco recommend cattle be injected with multivitamin and mineral supplements.

“Ivermectin has antiviral properties, so I also advise farmers to use a type of Ivermectin.

“I also suggest that Inforce 3 (G4044, Act 36 of 1947) be administered. It is an intranasal vaccine that also has antiviral properties. And again – it will not stop the virus, but it will help fight it if the animal gets sick,” says Henco.

When you know of FMD cases very close to you, it is also good to inject calves with a preventive dose of vitamin E and selenium because it helps to strengthen muscles, says Carmen. “It is just for the calves to strengthen their heart muscles.

“FMD caught us completely off guard in the North West because we initially didn’t have classic cases of sore mouths and claws. We had calves dying,” she says. “Post-mortem results then indicated FMD. Suddenly, more and more calves were dying, and then there were mass deaths. We now see that, roughly estimated, 20% to 50% of the calves in a herd can die if FMD breaks out.”

Younger calves of four months and younger are particularly vulnerable. The virus attacks their heart muscles, followed by heart failure and deaths.

She says it’s important to remember that when the virus breaks out on a farm, it spreads through the entire herd – cows, bulls and calves.

Both stress that farmers must now work with their veterinarians for the correct dosages when their herds are infected, otherwise your animals can die because you have put more pressure on their bodies and hearts. It usually takes about 28 days for FMD lesions to show improvement.

“In practice, we see that week one is the worst and by week three you can usually see there are improvements,” says Carmen.

According to her, not all the animals gets sick – it’s just “luck of the draw”. Stronger cows in good condition and with good immunity have a better chance of not getting sick. It is also important to remember animals that look healthy can also have the virus.

“I have had many cases where the cattle look like they are fine, but then they test positive for FMD,” she says.