The strategy for how South Africa’s vaccination campaign will be implemented is currently being urgently compiled, the RMIS says. This will include changes to all regulations that are affected in the value chain.
By Alani Janeke, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
Changes must be made to protocols and regulations of the South African red meat industry to ensure the success of the country’s new strategy for combating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), with a vaccination campaign. John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture, announced on Wednesday 26 November that South Africa is moving away from a policy of mainly quarantine to a comprehensive national vaccination policy.
Also read: Minister Steenhuisen announces major FMD policy shift at AFASA conference
Dewald Olivier, CEO of Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS), says he has received questions from various quarters about what the next steps are and how such a turnaround will be achieved. “For now, a 180°-degree turnaround has been announced in what we have done so far.”
An example of a question being asked is how abattoirs should handle vaccinated animals. “If an abattoir receives an animal that has been vaccinated for foot-and-mouth disease, is that animal positive for foot-and-mouth disease? Of course not. South Africa’s protocols and regulations need to be adapted around this and many other practical and technical aspects.”
Olivier says the ministerial task team is discussing the changes. It is expected that the plan to implement the campaign will be well advanced before the end of the year.
According to Steenhuisen’s announcement, approximately 2 million vaccine doses should be in South Africa by February next year.
Olivier says the plan will have to be ready before that happens. “As an industry, we want to understand what the rules (of the campaign) are by then. It doesn’t help the vaccine is kept in cold storage and we can’t vaccinate.”
One of the experts on whom the industry and the task force will rely heavily is veterinarian Dr Gideon Brückner, who previously served on the technical committee of the die World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Brückner’s recommendations to make countries foot-and-mouth disease-free are exactly what will happen now. Olivier encourages everyone to go and read what the WOAH says.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Vaccination is not a quick fix. It’s just one of the steps we’re going to have to take to tackle the disease. There’s a whole set of other aspects that needs to be addressed as well.”
“Change management is going to be essential. We are going to have to think differently about our industry.”
Also read: FMD | Stud breeders welcome seriousness about foot-and-mouth disease
Vaccine and fertility
Olivier says they are aware of messages on social media indicating that foot-and-mouth disease vaccine can adversely affect animal fertility. One message he received focused on a vaccine used in Zambia. This vaccine also contains the Asian O and A strains, which are not found in South Africa.
South Africa has been using the BVI vaccine from Botswana since 2004. Olivier says there have been cases where the fertility of vaccinated animals has improved precisely because the animal was vaccinated before they became ill. Veterinarians explained to Olivier that an animal that has the virus and has a severe fever can have its fertility adversely affected by the fever. According to Olivier, research is currently being conducted on fertility and the vaccine.
He warned those who are spreading messages about vaccines from other countries and their effects that they are creating fear that is not necessarily based on facts. “This is extremely dangerous. I want to warn everyone who is spreading this message that they are spreading fear. Let’s get the facts for the South African context.”
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