A shipment of 2-million doses of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine from Dollvet, Turkey, has arrived in South Africa. Distribution to the provinces is expected to start in the next few days.
Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen said on Wednesday this was the first tranche of a 6-million dose order placed with Dollvet through its local agent, Dunevax.
On February 21, the first large consignment of FMD vaccines, 5-million doses from Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina, arrived in the country.
On Wednesday, Steenhuisen said an order for an additional 5-million doses from Biogénesis Bagó had been placed through Onderstepoort Biological Products.
The ministry said the latest 5-million dose consignment would arrive in two batches, 3.5-million and 1.5-million doses, as soon as the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority approved the Section 21 application for their importation.
Steenhuisen said his department had now ensured it has access to a steady vaccine supply. “We will push forward to make sure that we achieve our goal — vaccinate the national herd to achieve World Organisation of Animal Health recognition of FMD-free status with vaccination.
“This will allow us to access international markets for South African red meat that have been closed for decades due to FMD,” he said.
The vaccine will be rolled out based on animal risk and population figures.
The Eastern Cape has been allocated 135,400 doses, Free State 182,400, Gauteng 124,800, KwaZulu-Natal 192,000, Mpumalanga 144,000, North West 182,400, Western Cape and Limpopo 150,000 each, while Northern Cape will receive 100,000 doses.
TimesLIVE