By Patience Gondo
The Department of Veterinary Services has placed parts of Beitbridge District under strict quarantine following a confirmed outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), which has affected over 400 animals since June 2025.
The outbreak, which began in Beitbridge West, has since spread to Beitbridge East,prompting the veterinary authorities to impose immediate restrictions to contain the spread.
Three key areas in the district have been identified as hotspots.
“The Beitbridge Veterinary Services has placed the district under quarantine following the confirmation of 400 cases of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD),” a department statement said.
As part of the containment response, authorities have banned the movement of cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep into and out of the affected zones. Offenders face legal consequences for violating the quarantine.
Efforts to curb the spread are ongoing, with the department confirming that 42,944 cattle had been vaccinated as of Monday evening.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease is a highly contagious viral illness that affects cloven-hoofed animals. It causes severe economic impact through loss of livestock productivity, trade restrictions, and control costs.
FMD is a centrally managed disease in Zimbabwe, meaning all decisions to declare an outbreak and implement control measures come from the national level.
Authorities said they are continuously reviewing the quarantine measures and will lift them when the situation stabilises.
A separate animal and plant quarantine centre, located 5km north of the Beitbridge Border Post, remains operational.
The facility was built under the border modernisation programme and is not directly linked to the FMD outbreak but plays a key role in long-term disease surveillance and control.
Veterinary officials are urging farmers and stakeholders to cooperate fully as efforts continue to contain the outbreak.