The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held this Thursday, April 14th, the central ceremony to launch the animal vaccination campaign, in the District of Búzi, Sofala Province. This is an action that aims to raise awareness among the communities, breeders and local administrative structures about the importance and need to immunize the animals.
The ceremony took place under the slogan “defense of public health and economy” aiming to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to ensure that more than 80% of livestock is protected against diseases that impact public health.
Recall that in 2021, there was an increase in the average vaccine coverage, going from 62% in 2020 to 86.75%, with emphasis on Hematic Carbuncle and Symptomatic Carbuncle that reached a coverage of 81% and 85%.
Existing studies indicate that Foot and Mouth Disease is the disease with the greatest potential for negative impact on the economy, because its occurrence can generate a ban on commercial transactions of the country with other international markets, both of animal and plant products from the affected areas.
The statement shared by MADER makes it known that in Campaign 2021 “there was no record of Foot and Mouth Disease after four years of successive occurrence of this disease,” a fact that attributes, one can read, “to greater rigor in the implementation of preventive measures,” namely “vaccination coverage in about 98%; compulsory registration and monitoring of animal transporters/transporters and traders (livestock traders); Licensing and issuance of provincial credentials (document that authorizes the movement of animals); and prior testing of animals for interdistrict/provincial mobility.
In the last 10 years, compliance with the vaccination and bathing obligations has represented the main challenge for the growth of the livestock sub-sector.
The government also announced that it intends to vaccinate 100% of existing cattle in the country against foot-and-mouth disease during the 2022-2023 veterinary immunization campaign.
The National Director of Livestock Development, Américo da Conceição, said that with the achievement of the goal defined for that period the more than 2.2 million heads of cattle accounted in the whole country will be vaccinated.
Américo da Conceição was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the launch of the animal vaccination campaign, in Búzi district, Sofala province, central Mozambique.
