A total of 1.5 million doses of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine have arrived in South Africa. (Photo: Dunevax)
A total of 1.5 million doses of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine have arrived in South Africa, with another five million doses expected within two weeks.
The vaccine doses were received by Mooketsa Ramasodi, director-general (DG) of agriculture, at the OR Tambo international airport.
The shipment, supplied by Dollvet from Turkey, will be distributed to key areas where the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak is worst. According to John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, the respective provinces will also receive some of this shipment’s vaccine.
“We are eagerly awaiting the next vaccine shipment which will arrive in two weeks time… and it will be five million doses. This shows the government’s commitment to this fight against foot and mouth disease, as well as to the strategy that will ensure that South Africa has a clear path to become foot and mouth disease free for the first time in 30 years, and bring certainty and opportunity to the red meat sector in South Africa.”
Steenhuisen said the arrival of the vaccine means that the mass vaccination program can be stepped up. He said the vaccination program’s aim is to ensure that 80% of the national herd is vaccinated by December, and to reduce the incidence of foot-and-mouth disease by 70%.
Another five million doses are expected within weeks. (Photo: Dunevax)
“Provided the strategy is adhered to by the private-public sector as well as the industry, we will be well on our way to ensuring that this is the last major outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that we will ever experience. We call on vets, farmers as well as industry players to work with the government to ensure that we can vaccinate as many cattle as quickly as possible.”
Dunevax Biotech is the appointed South African agent of Dollvet and says the shipment is crucial in efforts to start containing the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa. The vaccine will instead go to Onderstepoort Biological Products from where it will be further distributed.
“With 14 million livestock in South Africa, we need a significant amount of vaccine. The arrival of these 1.5 million doses makes an enormous contribution in our fight against foot-and-mouth disease,” said Ramasodi.
The shipment, supplied by Dollvet from Turkey, will be distributed to key areas where the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak is worst. (Photo: Dunevax)
Dr. David Gerber, CEO and spokesperson for Dunevax, says it’s not just about providing vaccine. “It’s about controlled deployment, regulatory compliance and real-time monitoring.”
Steenhuisen and Elzabé Rockman, Free State MEC for agriculture and rural development, will meanwhile continue the nationwide mass vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease in the Free State on Monday.