The interception of an illegal shipment of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine smuggled into South Africa late last year appears not to have deterred smugglers. There are indications, however, that the full force of the law may now be closing in on them.

By Lloyd Phillips, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad

Informed sources in South Africa’s animal health sector report both good and bad news regarding the smuggling of illegal, unregistered and potentially dangerous FMD vaccines into the country.

Dr Mark Chimes, a veterinarian and programme manager for animal health and welfare at Milk South Africa, has been keeping up to date with the investigations into the suspected ongoing influx of illegal FMD vaccines into South Africa and on the efforts to put a stop to this smuggling.

African Farming reported late last year that South African authorities intercepted an air freight shipment of illegal vaccine in Polokwane, Limpopo. It was allegedly manufactured in Kenya.

The shipment is understood to have contained vaccine doses for the A and O serotypes of the FMD virus – which are not known to occur in South Africa. Chimes says this vaccine poses a serious and potentially new biosecurity threat to the country’s livestock and wildlife.

This smuggling of such a vaccine, and the risk it presents, is reportedly being treated as tantamount to bioterrorism. As a result, the State Security Agency and Interpol are working alongside the South African Police Service (SAPS) and other investigators on the case.

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More Illegal Vaccine Doses than Initially Thought

There appears to be a lot more of the initial type of the Kenyan vaccine being used in South Africa than originally suspected, Chimes says. It now seems, however, that a different Kenyan-manufactured vaccine is being smuggled into South Africa from Zambia. Kenya produces an FMD vaccine for Zambia that contains the SAT1 and SAT2 serotypes of the virus.

To date, only the SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3 serotypes have been officially documented in South Africa.

“[The vaccine smuggled in from Zambia] does not contain the O and A serotypes, which certainly makes it safer in that [specific] sense,” Chimes says. “Nevertheless, these vaccines are being smuggled in and none of them are approved for use in South Africa. It is illegal and we cannot condone their use.”

Chimes adds that he and other animal health experts recently met with virologists to discuss how to obtain more detailed and reliable information on the illegal vaccines. This is particularly important given unconfirmed reports suggesting that some of these vaccines may be “causing [new] outbreaks of disease” in South Africa.

Jan Nel, biosecurity marshal at Red Meat Industry Services, says the investigation into the illegal Kenyan vaccine intercepted in Polokwane “is at a sensitive stage and is ongoing”.

African Farming has requested an update from SAPS. Lieutenant-Colonel Amanda van Wyk, spokesperson for SAPS, said that an update would be provided as soon as the relevant information becomes available.

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