As South Africa races to contain foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), another shipment of vaccines have now been delivered to Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP). Yet reports of poor traceability in the field, shortages of equipment and questions about payment for the shipment are raising fresh concerns among farmers and industry stakeholders.
By Jasper Raats, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad
Dunevax Biotech, the distributor of Turkish manufacturer Dollvet’s vaccine in Southern Africa, confirmed in a press statement on Friday, 6 March, that 1.5 million doses of their Dollvet oil-based foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine have been delivered to Onderstepoort Biological Products. The vaccine had already arrived in South Africa on Sunday, 1 March.
Dunevax confirmed on Friday the doses – which provide protection against the SAT1, SAT2 and SAT3 serotypes of FMD – were successfully delivered to OBP under strict cold-chain conditions and incorporated into the State Veterinary Service’s infrastructure.
According to the company, the vaccine is an inactivated, oil-adjuvanted trivalent vaccine with a so-called water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsion formulation designed to provide longer-lasting immunity and limit tissue reactions. The vaccine is produced at Dollvet’s biotechnology facility in Türkiye, which operates according to international GMP standards.
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Better Traceability Required
To support the rollout of the national vaccination process, a digital monitoring tool, the Dunevax Vaccination Surveillance App, has been launched to help manage traceability and reporting on vaccine usage.
There are already concerns about poor traceability in the national vaccination campaign. Speaking at a recent FMD information day, Dr Shaun Morris, a member of the ministerial task team, mentioned cattle in the Balfour district had been vaccinated without any ear tag or other identifying marker indicating that the animals had been vaccinated. “Not one of them,” he said.
According to Morris, this undermines traceability and creates the risk that animals could be vaccinated twice or that uncertainty could arise about their immunity status. Officials from the provincial directorate for animal health, who were present at the workshop, did not respond to this claim.
DA councillor and cattle farmer from Harrismith, Alison Oates, meanwhile posted on Facebook that state veterinarians vaccinated her herd against FMD on 3 and 4 March, but that several practical problems occurred during the process.
Among other things, she claims there was a shortage of ear tags and needles, and that the administrative requirements around identification and record-keeping slowed the process. Oates also expressed concern about the vaccine’s cold chain and the possible spread of other diseases due to limited equipment. In her post, she describes the emotional and financial toll of the outbreak on her farm as “horrendous” and says the state’s handling of the crisis has caused her great frustration.
Stakeholders in the veterinary and agricultural sector have, according to Dunevax, welcomed the cooperation between government, regulatory authorities and the private sector as an important step in strengthening South Africa’s biosecurity response to FMD.
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Questions Regarding Payment
The statement, however, comes against the background of a WhatsApp message that circulated widely in agricultural circles over the past week and raised questions about payment for the vaccine – reportedly the reason behind the long period between its arrival in South Africa and its handover to OBP.
Earlier this week, Dunevax CEO, Dr David Gerber, declined to comment on the content of the message, saying only that it was “not entirely correct”.
In his statement, Gerber said Dunevax delivered the vaccine based on verbal assurances from the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, the department’s Director-General, Mooketsa Ramasodi, and OBP’s CEO, Dr Thulani Modumo, that payment would be made after delivery.
According to him, the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) makes it difficult for the government to pay for vaccines in advance.
“Despite this Dunevax decided to take a calculated risk and deliver the vaccine as promised, in the interest of South African farmers,” says Gerber.
He adds the company hopes the move will help strengthen cooperation and build trust between stakeholders while the country’s FMD response continues.
Gerber affirms the aim remains to bring the spread of FMD under control as quickly as possible and to ensure a reliable supply of vaccine against the three serotypes currently present in Southern Africa.
According to him, the final laboratory report from The Pirbright Institute on the virus match for the Dollvet vaccine will be available soon, which should further strengthen confidence in the vaccine’s effectiveness.
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