The first 1 million doses of the Biogénesis Bagó vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are expected to arrive in South Africa by the end of this week.

By Alani Janeke, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has granted Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) approval, in terms of Section 21 of the Medicines and Related Substances Act (Act 101 of 1965), to import Biogénesis Bagó’s vaccine.

The Department of Agriculture expects the shipment in the third week of February, says Dewald Olivier, CEO of Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) and chairman of the FMD Industry Coordination Council.

Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen told the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) on Sunday, 15 February, that a shipment of 960 000 doses from the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) as well as 1 million doses of the Dollvet vaccine from Türkiye are also expected later this month. Biogénesis Bagó is expected to deliver a further 5 million doses in March.

Alan Winde, Premier Of The Western Cape, At The Vaccination In Fisantekraal Near Cape Town. Photo: Supplied — Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape, at the vaccination in Fisantekraal near Cape Town. Photo: Supplied

Western Cape Ramps Up Response

Steenhuisen visited the site on Sunday where 450 cattle in Fisantekraal near Cape Town were preventatively vaccinated. This marked the start of the Western Cape government’s expanded vaccination campaign to inoculate the province’s entire herd.

“The vaccination drive is a proactive step to protect cattle in this area,” said Alan Winde, premier of the Western Cape, on the occasion. “No cases of FMD have been detected in this Fisantekraal herd, but we are taking every precaution because we want to protect jobs and livelihoods.

“We will be receiving 200 000 vaccine doses over the coming weeks and will push to vaccinate all high-risk herds. The province will also request permission to procure its own vaccines.”

The vaccinated animals have been tagged for optimal identification, surveillance and monitoring.

To curb the spread of FMD and protect the Western Cape herd, Winde, in terms of the Animal Diseases Act (Act 35 of 1984), has requested that the national Department of Agriculture move all physical auctions online for 21 days, and issue permit control regulations for the movement of livestock.

Winde, Dr Ivan Meyer, Western Cape MEC for Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, and Anton Bredell, Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, met with Steenhuisen on Monday evening, 16 February, to receive an update on these requests.

Also read: SAHPRA fast-tracks critical FMD vaccines to protect livestock

Only 4% of Cases Reported?

RMIS has in recent weeks received several calls stating that the information on the map on its website – which indicates suspected and active cases – is outdated. The information on this map is supplemented by cases reported to the government.

Olivier says RMIS and the FMD Industry Coordination Council investigated and found that thousands of cases are no longer being reported to the government.

“There are animals at thousands of facilities that have tested positive but were not initially reported. And this is entirely understandable, as the quarantine policy is outdated and needs to be adjusted, especially since many farms with infections can be placed under quarantine for up to 12 months. We suspect that only about 4% of cases are being reported.”

Olivier told African Farming that it would be “a major win” for RMIS if the first 14 million vaccine doses entering the country could be provided free of charge to all farmers.

This follows Steenhuisen’s interview with AMT in which he said that all farmers would receive free vaccines. African Farming is awaiting feedback from the Department of Agriculture on whether this will indeed be the case, and how it would be implemented.

Olivier explained, however, that RMIS has a plan in place should problems arise with funding to bring the vaccines into the country – three funds of R200 million each have been established.