{"id":83281,"date":"2026-04-22T09:18:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T09:18:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages"},"modified":"2026-04-22T09:57:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T09:57:54","slug":"fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages","title":{"rendered":"FMD Spreads to Five Southern Villages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>The outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has spread to at least five villages in Botswana\u2019s southern region, raising fears within government and farming communities.<\/b><\/p>\n

Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Edwin Dikoloti, revealed the development during a kgotla meeting in Good Hope this week, describing the situation as deeply concerning despite existing biosecurity measures.<\/p>\n

The disease was first detected at the Ramatlabama Artificial Insemination Centre at the end of March. It has since spread to Matasalalo and Papatlo, before reaching Bethel, Phihetswane and a feedlot in Hildavale, signaling a widening containment challenge for authorities.<\/p>\n

BIOSECURITY UNDER PRESSURE<\/p>\n

Dikoloti expressed frustration at the rapid spread, warning that lapses in compliance and enforcement were undermining efforts to contain the outbreak. He stressed the need for stronger community policing, particularly within Zone 11, to curb further infections.<\/p>\n

According to the minister, failure by communities to monitor and report suspicious livestock movements has contributed to breaches in critical infrastructure, including a P65 million double cordon fence spanning 182 kilometres. Additional security measures, such as a P9.4 million barbed and razor wire installation at the Ramatlabama ranch, have also been compromised.<\/p>\n

BIO-TERRORISM CLAIMS SURFACE<\/p>\n

The outbreak comes amid government investigations into claims of possible bio-terrorism\u2014allegations that some critics have dismissed. Authorities say they are investigating whether the spread is linked to deliberate human action or systemic failures in disease control.<\/p>\n

While some farmers in Good Hope have called for urgent vaccination of livestock, Dikoloti cautioned that vaccination remains a last-resort measure in FMD management protocols. Authorities typically prioritize containment, movement restrictions and surveillance before resorting to mass vaccination.<\/p>\n

UNCERTAIN OUTLOOK<\/p>\n

It remains unclear whether further testing will reveal additional spread beyond the affected villages. However, the situation has heightened anxiety among farmers, particularly given the economic implications of FMD on livestock trade and rural livelihoods.<\/p>\n

Government has urged farmers and communities to remain vigilant, adhere strictly to biosecurity regulations, and cooperate with veterinary officials as efforts to contain the outbreak intensify.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. The outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has spread to at least five villages in Botswana\u2019s southern region, raising fears within government and farming communities. Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Edwin Dikoloti, revealed the development during a kgotla meeting in Good Hope this week, describing the situation as deeply concerning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":83280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-83281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nFMD Spreads to Five Southern Villages - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has spread to at least five villages in Botswana\u2019s southern region, rais ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FMD Spreads to Five Southern Villages\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has spread to at least five villages in Botswana\u2019s southern region, rais ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Botswana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-22T09:18:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-22T09:57:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2026\/04\/sm_1776839126.579274.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"FMD Spreads to Five Southern Villages\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-22T09:18:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-22T09:57:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages\"},\"wordCount\":346,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2026\/04\/sm_1776839126.579274.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Botswana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/fmd-spreads-to-five-southern-villages\",\"name\":\"FMD Spreads to Five Southern Villages - 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