Maputo, April 14, 2026 (Lusa) - The number of animal disease outbreaks in Mozambique increased by 63% in 2025, reaching a total of 542 and resulting in the deaths of 25,000 cattle, the government announced on Tuesday, ahead of the launch of a vaccination campaign in high-risk areas, scheduled for later this month.
“With regard to animal health, 542 outbreaks of animal diseases were reported during 2025, compared to 332 in the same period of 2024 (...) and 24,929 cattle deaths were recorded, caused by animal diseases,” said the spokesperson for the cabinet meeting, Salim Valá, at the end of the body’s weekly session in Maputo.
He said the government had implemented restrictions on animal movement in affected regions, bolstered epidemiological surveillance, and conducted systematic clinical inspections of animals in those areas, and announced a targeted vaccination campaign on 29 April to immunise animals in high-risk areas.
The vaccination programme would focus on high-risk border zones, including the frontiers between Tete province and Malawi and Zimbabwe, and the borders of Manica, Gaza, and Maputo with Zimbabwe and South Africa, he added.
He also indicated that in the current 2025/2026 agricultural season, the invasive African armyworm (Spodoptera exempta) affected 58,101 hectares, compared to 54,660 hectares in the previous season, with the government attributing the increase in the affected area to the expansion of sown areas.
“Despite the increase in the affected area, the data shows that the loss rate fell from 23% in the 2024/2025 season to 13% in the 2025/2026 season.”
“This development is linked to higher levels of rainfall, which limited the pest’s ability to attack,” he said.
In February, Mozambican livestock farmers called for a government-led livestock restocking programme after losing hundreds of animals due to the January floods, warning of the risk of famine.
Data from the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction revealed that during the current rainy season, which began in October and runs until April, 531,116 animals, including cattle, goats and poultry, had died, and 316,267 hectares of agricultural land had been lost, affecting 371,320 farmers.
PME/MYAL // ADB.
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