South Africa unveils decade-long strategy to combat FMD

South Africa has outlined a 10-year national strategy on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) containment, announcing the launch of a nationwide vaccination campaign and plans to seek a declaration of the outbreak as a national disaster.

Speaking at a press briefing in Cape Town on Wednesday, South Africa's Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen said the government is rolling out a clear and technically grounded roadmap to protect the national livestock herd and restore the country's international agricultural standing after losing its FMD-free status in 2019.

The minister noted that the strategy will be phased over 10 years, beginning with stabilization and consolidation, before moving toward the eventual withdrawal of vaccination and final recognition of national freedom through vaccination by the World Organization for Animal Health.

"The first part is targeted vaccination, [and] we will obviously be prioritizing the high risk zones. The objective is to within 12 months reduce outbreak incident by 70 percent in the high-risk provinces through systematic vaccination and then to preserve FMD-free provinces," said the minister.

The minister said South Africa's FMD outbreak began in 2021 following animal movements from Phalaborwa in Limpopo Province to KwaZulu-Natal Province. Since then, the disease has spread to multiple regions, with Northern Cape remaining the only one of the country's nine provinces that has reported no FMD outbreak.

KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Free State, and North West were identified as the hardest-hit, high-risk provinces, Steenhuisen added.

The ministry will be approaching the national government to declare FMD a state of disaster, and such a declaration would allow greater cooperation from law enforcement and other authorities to support broader efforts to contain the FMD outbreak, Steenhuisen said.

"It is a comprehensive control and eradication program designed to interrupt virus transmission and to protect our national herd. It is important to emphasize at this point that the success or otherwise of the strategy will strongly rely on the urgent review of the legislative framework that has to be adapted now to what is an evolving emergency situation," the minister said.

South Africa unveils decade-long strategy to combat FMD

China opposes the use or threat of force in international relations, opposes imposing one's own will on others, and opposes a return of the world to the "law of the jungle," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday.

During the call, Araghchi briefed Wang on the latest developments in Iran, saying the recent unrest was incited by external forces and that the situation has now returned to stability.

Saying that Iran has made preparations to respond to external interference while keeping the door wide open to dialog, Araghchi expressed hope that China would play a greater role in promoting regional peace and stability.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China consistently upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, opposes the use or threat of force in international relations, opposes imposing one's own will on others, and opposes a return of the world to the "law of the jungle."

He said that the Chinese side believes the Iranian government and people will stay united, overcome difficulties, maintain national stability, and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests.

Wang also called on all parties to cherish peace, exercise restraint, and resolve differences through dialog, adding that China is willing to play a constructive role in this regard.

Chinese, Iranian FMs have phone conversation