This report describes the molecular characterization of a serotype O foot-and-mouth
disease virus (FMDV) recovered from a field outbreak in the Zambezi region, Namibia
during July 2021. Sequence analysis demonstrates that this FMDV belongs to the
O/EA-2 topotype sharing closest nucleotide identity (99.5%) to FMD viruses collected
since 2018 in Zambia. This is the first detection of serotype O in Namibia, and together
with the cases that have been recently detected in southern Zambia, represent the first
time that this serotype has been detected in the Southern African FMD endemic pool
since 2000, when a virus of Asian origin (O/ME-SA/PanAsia) caused an outbreak in
South Africa. This incursion poses a new threat for the region and the potential onward
spread of O/EA-2 will now need to be closely monitored since serotype O vaccines are
not widely used in Namibia, nor in neighbouring countries.
