Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://dfa.co.za/news/2025-11-19-r...n-northern-cape-farmers-urged-to-act-swiftly/
Rift Valley Fever confirmed in Northern Cape - Farmers urged to act swiftly
Danie van der Lith
|Published 14 hours ago
SOUTH African livestock farmers in the Northern Cape are on high alert following the confirmation of a Rift Valley Fever (RVF) outbreak in the Kakamas area near Augrabies Falls. The Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development, and Land Reform has issued an urgent health warning, emphasising the need for immediate vaccination and enhanced biosecurity measures to prevent a wider spread.
The outbreak was detected after blood samples from a sheep herd tested positive for the RVF virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen that thrives in wet conditions. Symptoms in affected animals include bloody diarrhoea, nasal bleeding, sudden abortions, high fever, and unexplained deaths, particularly devastating in young lambs and kids, where mortality rates can exceed 90%.
"This is a highly contagious virus that can also transmit to humans," said Yolande Botha, operational officer for the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) in the Northern Cape. "Farmers must not handle suspected animals themselves; contact your nearest state veterinarian immediately."...
Rift Valley Fever confirmed in Northern Cape - Farmers urged to act swiftly
Danie van der Lith
|Published 14 hours ago
SOUTH African livestock farmers in the Northern Cape are on high alert following the confirmation of a Rift Valley Fever (RVF) outbreak in the Kakamas area near Augrabies Falls. The Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development, and Land Reform has issued an urgent health warning, emphasising the need for immediate vaccination and enhanced biosecurity measures to prevent a wider spread.
The outbreak was detected after blood samples from a sheep herd tested positive for the RVF virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen that thrives in wet conditions. Symptoms in affected animals include bloody diarrhoea, nasal bleeding, sudden abortions, high fever, and unexplained deaths, particularly devastating in young lambs and kids, where mortality rates can exceed 90%.
"This is a highly contagious virus that can also transmit to humans," said Yolande Botha, operational officer for the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation (RPO) in the Northern Cape. "Farmers must not handle suspected animals themselves; contact your nearest state veterinarian immediately."...
