CAPE TOWN, July 29 -- The South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has declared a disease management area (DMA) in a further effort to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), local media reported Monday.

According to media reports, the DMA includes parts of the Kouga and Kou-Kamma municipalities in the Eastern Cape Province, where cattle on 26 farms have tested positive for the disease.

"The boundaries of the DMA will be detailed in the related Government Gazette Notice," the agriculture ministry was quoted by local media as saying in a statement.

FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and other cloven-hoofed animals.

In the statement, the DALRRD explained that the DMA, declared Friday, will make it possible to control the movements of animals out of, into and within the affected area.

"The main aim of the DMA is to prevent the outward spread of the outbreaks to areas not previously affected. In addition, the DMA aims to decrease further spread of the disease within the affected area, as this will decrease the viral load and infection pressure of the area," it said. "No cloven-hoofed animals, animal products derived from cloven-hoofed animals, or genetic material of cloven-hoofed animals may be moved from, to, or within the DMA of the Eastern Cape Province except under the authority of a state veterinary permit."

Meanwhile, 84,655 animals on the affected farms have been vaccinated, and the positive farms have been placed under quarantine with strict movement control.

In addition to the control measures of the Eastern Cape Province, the DALRRD has also strongly recommended all livestock farmers in the country limit animal movement. "Cloven-hoofed animals should not be moved unless it is necessary to allow for an opportunity to find and quarantine further undetected and affected properties to prevent any further spread of the disease," said the department.

  - Xinhua