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2 weeks ago
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Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen says 1 million foot-and-mouth disease vaccine doses from Biogénesis Bagó will arrive this weekend.
- Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen says 1 million foot-and-mouth disease vaccine doses from Biogénesis Bagó will arrive this weekend.
- An additional 1.5 million more are due next week, and monthly deliveries are set to rise to between 3 and 5 million by March.
- Steenhuisen described the shipments as the largest vaccine import in SA’s history, saying the government will work with provinces and private vets to roll out vaccines in the worst-affected areas first.
A million doses of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines are expected to arrive in South Africa this weekend, but regular shipments will be delivered in the weeks thereafter, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said on Thursday.
He explained that government is using “heat maps” to prioritise epicentres, specifically KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, North West, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.
For the first time, private veterinarians and veterinary students are being authorised to administer vaccines to speed up the campaign, aiming to vaccinate 80% of the national herd.
During a radio interview with RSG on Thursday morning, Steenhuisen said that following the arrival of a million doses from Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina this weekend, an additional 1.5 million vaccines will arrive next week. By March, the supply will scale up to 3 and 5 million monthly. Vaccines will also be supplied by Dollvet in Turkey through its local agent, Dunevax.
These vaccines are a critical component of the Department of Agriculture’s new strategy against FMD, in which the national herd of over 14 million cattle will be proactively vaccinated to ensure South Africa transitions to “FMD-Free Status with Vaccination”.
Steenhuisen described the shipments as “the largest import of vaccines in our history” and said the national government would partner with provinces to roll them out.
The heat maps would help to identify, at the municipal level, which areas are most affected.
The minister said that using alternative vaccine suppliers in Argentina and Turkey is a “game-changer” in its efforts to halt the outbreak.
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South Africa has previously relied on the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI), but a factory closure in December had made vaccine supply scarce.
However, the BVI remains a vital partner and has delivered 2 million doses to date since the recent outbreak. It is scheduled to provide doses of FMD vaccines on a monthly basis.
Steenhuisen added that efforts are being made to bolster the local vaccine production programme at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC).
He added that rumours claiming that vaccines would cost farmers R300 per dose are unfounded. He insisted that the government is securing the most affordable options possible.
