No new cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) have been reported in the Karasburg Veterinary District of the ||Kharas Region.

Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda says 93 farms in the area have been inspected, and the outbreak remains confined to 18 farms confirmed as infected.

Muyunda says inspections within a 50-kilometre radius of the first infected farm in ||Kharas had been completed as of 21 October 2026.

"The Directorate of Veterinary Services has continued to intensify surveillance, trace forward and trace back investigations using the Namibia livestock identification and traceability system, in short, that is NAMLITS, as well as implement livestock movement controls in affected areas."

The total number of positive cases remains at 131.

The Ministry has deployed 19 vaccination teams in Kharas, targeting approximately 13,000 cattle.

As of 20 October, 1,296 cattle on 25 farms had been vaccinated, with the first round expected to be completed within two weeks.

In the Zambezi Region, 42,286 cattle on 34 farms had been vaccinated by 20 October.

The Ministry reported no new cases outside the designated disease management area at Kalala Island.

Muyunda says vaccination, roadblocks and livestock movement restrictions are among the measures being used to contain the disease.

Meanwhile, the Ministry says veterinary legislation currently makes no provision for compensating farmers for losses caused by animal diseases.