Foot-and-mouth disease shortens meat supply in Lilongwe
Department of Animal Health and Livestock in Lilongwe has issued the ban on slaughter and sale of meet in the City and surrounding areas due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
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Director of Animal Health and Livestock, Dr Patrick Chikungwa said the ban on slaughter and sales of meat is currently being enforced in the areas where there is an outbreakof foot and mouth disease.
He pointed out that at the moment restrictions are in Lilongwe.
“It is the mandate of Animal Health and Livestock to protect the national herd from disease, the community at large have also a role to play in terms of complying to the set control measures,” Chikungwa explained.
He said currently, they are urging all the key stakeholders to ensure compliance to applied control measures for the benefit of the national at large
“They set control measures are applied according to the laws of Malawi under the control and animal diseases measures are applied according to the provided for chapter act 66:02 which provide for appropriate penalties for those not complying.”
Currently, the Ministry is putting all the necessary measures to ensure that the disease does not spread further
The control measure include strengthening disease surveillance for early detection, reporting and response, instituting insecuritymeasures such as roadblock and disinfection points vaccination of cattle at high risk and sensitization of the dammingcommunity and general public on the diseases
The Ministry is appealing to communities not to eat the infected meat as this can helping the spreading of the diseases. The disease this year affected the districts of Blantyre, Neno, Mwanza in the south but now in the south now is under control, in the central it was Ntcheu, Dedza which is under control and now its Lilongwe which needs to respond.