Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Mozambique between 2010 and 2020

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a transboundary animal disease that has negative socioeconomic consequences including impacts on trade and food security. A retrospective study on the outbreaks and suspected case of FMD in Mozambique, between the years 2010 and 2020, based on the data collected through passive surveillance, was undertaken. A total of 1,680 positives cases of FMD were reported as a result of outbreaks and suspected occurrence cases in 45 out of 50 districts analyzed in 9 provinces of the country. The overall prevalence of FMD was 10.7% (1,680/15,661). A significant difference (p˂0.01) between the years were observed in the period analyzed. Spatial distribution showed that, there is a significant difference between districts (p˂0.01, df=1, OR=0.120). Analysis showed that districts in the southern region are more prone to FMD (75.3%; 1,265/1,680) than those in the center (22%; 370/1,680) and north regions (2.6%; 45/1,680). The temporal pattern indicates a higher number of FMD cases in the dry seasons (72.7%; 95% IC: 68.9% – 76.5%) than in the rainy seasons (27.3% 95% IC: 23.2% – 31.4%). A significant difference on FMD seasonality was observed during the period (pvalue=0.001, df=1, OR=1.214). The spatial distribution of the FMD cases suggested that serotype SAT 2 was the only widespread cause of the outbreaks in Mozambique, although SAT 3 serotype was detected in central part of the country