Namibia Minute.
24 April 2026
A daily Namibian brief · Est. 2026
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Organization

Directorate of Veterinary Services

Also known as: DVS

Government agency managing Namibia's animal health surveillance, disease control, and livestock import regulations, including rabies vaccination campaigns and foot-and-mouth disease prevention.

Society

Over 120,000 dogs vaccinated as rabies control advances

The News

Namibia has vaccinated over 124,000 dogs in 2025 and more than 157,000 in 2024, achieving approximately 61% coverage nationally, according to the Chief Veterinary Officer. While the country has not yet reached its 70% vaccination target, national rabies positivity rates have dropped below 10%, with awareness campaigns reaching about 82% of schools in the Northern Communal Areas.

Why it matters

Namibia is making progress toward eliminating rabies, with vaccination rates now around 61% of the dog population and a measurable drop in rabies cases, though some regions still report infection rates above 30% with human fatalities occurring. Reaching the global goal of zero human rabies deaths by 2030 depends on continued vaccination and awareness efforts.

20 April 2026 · Informanté →

Monday 20 April

  1. Over 120,000 dogs vaccinated as rabies control advances

    Namibia has vaccinated over 124,000 dogs in 2025 and more than 157,000 in 2024, achieving approximately 61% coverage nationally, according to the Chief Veterinary Officer. While the country has not yet reached its 70% vaccination target, national rabies positivity rates have dropped below 10%, with awareness campaigns reaching about 82% of schools in the Northern Communal Areas.

    20 April 2026 · Informanté →

Tuesday 17 March

  1. Namibia bans livestock imports from FMD-affected Botswana

    Namibia's Directorate of Veterinary Services has imposed an immediate ban on imports of cloven-hoofed animals and related products from designated zones in Botswana following confirmed foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks. The directorate has also suspended poultry and poultry products from Argentina's Buenos Aires province due to highly pathogenic avian influenza.

    17 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Saturday 14 March

  1. Livestock board offers 15% subsidy on LSD vaccines

    The Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia is offering cattle producers a 15% subsidy on approved Lumpy Skin Disease vaccines, available on a first-come, first-served basis since 1 February 2026. Registered producers must purchase approved vaccines, obtain vaccination certificates from the Directorate of Veterinary Services, and submit claims with original receipts and bank confirmation letters, with applications limited to 350 doses per producer per subsidy period.

    14 March 2026 · Informanté →

Friday 13 March

  1. Namibia launches regional awareness campaign on Foot-and-Mouth Disease

    The Directorate of Veterinary Services will conduct a regional awareness campaign on Foot-and-Mouth Disease from 16 to 20 March 2026 across seven regions, in collaboration with the Livestock and Livestock Products Board and farmers' unions, to strengthen preparedness and response to the ongoing FMD threat in the SADC region.

    13 March 2026 · Informanté →

Wednesday 11 March

  1. Namibia restricts livestock imports from Botswana over FMD outbreak

    Namibia has imposed immediate restrictions on the importation and in-transit movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their products from ten zones in Botswana following confirmed Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks reported by Botswana's Veterinary Authority. The measure aims to prevent introduction of the FMD virus into Namibia, though imports from other zones remain permitted with veterinary approval.

    11 March 2026 · Informanté →

Monday 9 March

  1. Namibian delegation shares FMD control strategies at Cape Town conference

    Namibian livestock and veterinary representatives participated in the 2026 International Forum for Transboundary Animal Diseases and Food Safety Conference in Cape Town, where regional and international experts discussed strategies to prevent and control Foot and Mouth Disease in Southern Africa. The conference emphasised the importance of surveillance, early detection, regional coordination, and cross-border communication, with several partners expressing interest in supporting Namibia's efforts to maintain its FMD-free zone without vaccination.

    9 March 2026 · Informanté →

Tuesday 3 March

  1. Driest January since 1981 prompts proactive farming strategies

    Namibia's Meteorological Services reported the driest January since 1981, with uneven rainfall posing risks to livestock and crop production. The article urges farmers to take early action—such as selling vulnerable animals and securing irrigation—and calls on policymakers to support export abattoirs, subsidize irrigation systems, and strengthen border security against foot-and-mouth disease.

    3 March 2026 · New Era →

  2. Government and private sector mobilize N$13m to prevent livestock disease

    Namibia has launched an FMD Support Fund and Task Force to protect its N$15 billion livestock industry from Foot-and-Mouth Disease, with 11 partners pledging nearly N$13 million. The effort aims to strengthen surveillance, border biosecurity, and response capacity amid heightened risk from FMD outbreaks in neighbouring countries.

    3 March 2026 · New Era →

  3. Namibia launches N$13 million foot-and-mouth disease fund

    Namibia's newly established foot-and-mouth disease support fund, organized by farmers' unions, the Directorate of Veterinary Services, and the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia, has raised N$12.76 million from corporations and unions to strengthen biosecurity and emergency response. The fund aims to raise N$50 million to complement N$57 million allocated by the agriculture ministry for awareness, prevention, and rapid response efforts.

    3 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Monday 2 March

  1. Private, public sectors pledge N$11m to FMD prevention fund

    Private and public sector partners have pledged over N$11.2 million towards a newly launched Foot and Mouth Disease Support Fund targeting N$50 million to strengthen Namibia's prevention capacity, veterinary surveillance, and outbreak response. The move comes as Namibia faces increasing FMD risk from neighbouring South Africa and Botswana, with a national FMD Task Force established to coordinate prevention and containment strategies.

    2 March 2026 · New Era →

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