Mohale FM The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition has run out of lumpy skin disease medication after redistributing supplies from unaffected districts to those hardest hit.
The Ministry’s Chief Information Officer, Lereko Masupha, said the infection rates continue to rise, forcing the Ministry to prioritise affected areas while it awaits new stock.
He said the Ministry is currently in the process of procuring more lumpy skin disease medication, which will be distributed immediately once it becomes available.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, Mr Thabo Mofosi, revealed at a recent press conference that 448 cattle have so far been infected, with 19 deaths recorded.
Mr Mofosi said the disease has been reported in Leribe, Berea, Botha-Bothe, Maseru, Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek and Thaba-Tseka districts. He added that no cases have yet been reported in Quthing, Qacha’s Nek and Mokhotlong.
He further stated that the Ministry has developed a work plan and will deploy veterinary doctors to the most affected areas to vaccinate cattle and curb the spread of the disease. The public has been urged to avoid consuming meat from sick animals.
Current figures show that 142 cattle have been affected in Leribe, 63 in Maseru, 45 in Mafeteng, 36 in Botha-Bothe, 33 in Berea, 28 in Mohale’s Hoek and one in Thaba-Tseka.
