Namibia updates TADs contingency plans: safeguarding animal health, securing livelihoods.

Namibia maintains a WOAH-recognized Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), and Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) free zone located south of the Veterinary Cordon Fence (VCF) — a game- and stock-proof double-fenced corridor. In this zone in the south, vaccination is not practiced, enabling Namibia to export animals and animal products to other countries. In contrast, the area north of the Veterinary Cordon Fence —commonly referred to as the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs) —is designated as a protection zone, with the exception of the Zambezi Region, which is classified as an FMD-infected zone due to the presence of African buffalo.

Namibia has established contingency plans for Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs), which guide disease prevention and control programmes. The Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS) in Namibia regularly reviews these plans to ensure alignment with WOAH standards.

A five-day workshop was successfully held in Otjiwarongo, Namibia, from 18–22 August 2025, to update the contingency plans for FMD, CBPP, PPR, and Avian Influenza. The workshop brought together 32 participants from all divisions of the DVS, along with key stakeholders including the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (formerly the Meat Board of Namibia), the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, and the Ministry of Health and Social Services. It was jointly organized by the DVS and WOAH, with financial support from the BMZ-OHRT Project (Germany).

The workshop opened with remarks from Dr. Natangwe S. Amuthenu, Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer for Epidemiology, Import/Export, Traceability, Medicines Control, and Advisory Services. In his address, he emphasized the urgent need for national preparedness and ongoing vigilance to safeguard Namibia’s livestock sector and preserve access to international markets —particularly in light of current transboundary animal disease outbreaks, most notably FMD and Avian Influenza, affecting the Southern African region. He reaffirmed the DVS’s commitment to achieving WOAH-recognised freedom status for PPR in the Northern Communal Areas, noting that PPR has never been detected in Namibia and the country remains historically free of the disease. He highlighted that the current WOAH-endorsed Dog-mediated rabies control programme will expire in November 2025. He called on participants to revise the national rabies control strategy for 2026–2030, incorporating activities that reflect the One Health approach. He stressed that diseases transcend borders and sectors, and that only through coordinated, cross-sector collaboration can Namibia successfully eliminate dog-mediated rabies.

Throughout the workshop, participants worked in groups to review and update the contingency plans for FMD, CBPP, PPR, and Avian Influenza. On the final day, a new five-year national programme for the control of dog-mediated human rabies was developed, which outlines key actions and priorities to be implemented over the next five years (2026-2030).