UKZN Manager Presents on Animal Disease Awareness at National Science Week

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As part of National Science Week, UKZN’s Biomedical Resources Unit (BRU) Manager, Dr Nqobile Jaca-Phakathi, delivered an engaging public lecture on: ‘The Epidemiology, Clinical Signs, Treatment and Zoonotic Risk of Animal Diseases in the Lusikisiki Area’.

The event took place at Lusikisiki College of Education in the Eastern Cape, a region where livestock health is essential to rural livelihoods.

A veterinarian and professional researcher with extensive expertise in animal health and laboratory science, Phakathi oversees laboratory animal care and research projects at UKZN’s BRU, one of the largest laboratory animal facilities in Southern Africa. The facility breeds and houses a variety of experimental animals with a core focus on supporting the scientific needs of educators and researchers along the country’s eastern seaboard.

In her talk, Phakathi highlighted six major livestock diseases relevant to South Africa, some of which are directly or indirectly reported in the Lusikisiki area: African Swine Fever (ASF), Avian Influenza (AI), Poxvirus infections in poultry, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Lumpy Skin Disease and African Horse Sickness (AHS). While not all are currently present in Lusikisiki, she emphasised the importance of awareness among rural farmers due to their potential impact on animal health and livelihoods.

Providing practical advice and visual examples, Phakathi explained how FMD is “one of the world’s most economically important viral diseases of livestock,” infecting many cloven-hoofed animals, both domesticated and wild. The disease causes vesicular lesions in the mouth and on the feet, restricting the animal’s ability to eat or move.

She described African Swine Fever as a serious viral disease affecting wild and domestic pigs, leading to severe economic losses in the pork industry. “It is a controlled animal disease under the Animal Diseases Act, Act 35 of 1984, and must be reported immediately to the State Veterinarian,” she said.

Discussing Avian Influenza, Phakathi illustrated how highly contagious Influenza A viruses (commonly known as bird flu) could be when transmitted from waterfowl to chickens, and in rare cases to humans in close contact. Highly pathogenic strains cause sudden death from respiratory distress, while low pathogenic strains often result in decreased egg production and quality, known as ‘egg drop’.

She also addressed African Horse Sickness, a fatal haemorrhagic disease of equids, and Lumpy Skin Disease, a viral infection of cattle typically occurring in wet summer months. Avipoxvirus, she explained, spreads through direct contact or via vectors such as mosquitoes.

Phakathi outlined the zoonotic risks of each disease, noting that FMD can, in rare cases, cause symptoms similar to hand, foot and mouth disease in children, and that meat from ASF-infected pigs should never be consumed due to health hazards.

She concluded by recommending enhanced disease surveillance and reporting, farmer education and outreach, strict enforcement of movement and quarantine measures, collaboration between farmers and veterinarians and the promotion of vaccination programmes to safeguard animal and public health.

Words: Lunga Memela

Photograph: Supplied