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Private veterinarian power and vaccines will join the ranks in the war against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) within the next week. The minister of agriculture, John Steenhuisen, made the announcement during a press session at the Agricultural Research Council’s (ARC) Onderstepoort Veterinary Research campus coinciding with the launch of a proudly South African FMD vaccine.
On Friday, the first 12 900 units of the ARC-OVR vaccine was unveiled to the minister, several high-ranking dignitaries, and members of the media.
Peripheral areas will be prioritised during the distribution to create a buffer between the two FMD-free provinces (at the time – Northern Cape and the Western Cape) and KwaZulu-Natal, said Dr Bothle Modisane, chief director of animal production and health at the Department of Agriculture. Provincial allocations are as follows:
- 2 300 units for the Free State
- 2 600 units for the Eastern Cape
- 2 000 units for North West
- 2 000 units for Gauteng
- 2 000 units for Limpopo
- 2 000 units for Mpumalanga
Dr Modisane added that in most instances, couriers had already collected some of the vaccines so vaccinations could start without delay.
Twenty years in the making
South Africa ceased local foot-and-mouth disease FMD vaccine production in 2005 due to aging technology and infrastructure that did not meet international good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards.
The entity is now stepping into a new era. After nearly two decades of research and modernisation, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) has successfully produced its first 12 900 doses using modern bioreactor technology. This breakthrough involved identifying circulating regional strains and ensuring the vaccines provide high potency, long-lasting immunity while meeting strict international biosafety standards.
Dr Faith Peta, FMD vaccine production manager, said it has been a long journey since they started working on the formulation for the new vaccine in 2006. She said the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) required a vaccine to have a potency level of 3PD50 per dose. The ARC vaccine has a potency level of 22PD50 per dose. “A normal dose is 2ml and our research showed that this can protect an animal for up to a year,” Dr Peta said, crediting the Department of Agriculture and the ARC for their support.
Dr Peta’s team will continue to scale production, aiming for 20 000 units per week and 80 000 units per month by the end of March.
Dr Barry Mutowembwa, research veterinarian at ARC-OVR, noted that although the ARC-OVR’s laboratory is older, it remains a BSL 3 (biosafety level 3) facility, and serves as an FMD reference laboratory for the WOAH. He added that they worked closely with other international reference laboratories, such as the Pirbright Institute.
Dr Mutowembwa explained the strict safety protocols in place to prevent the escape of highly contagious viruses such as FMD, African swine fever and peste de petit ruminants (PPR). Due to these measures, dignitaries at the launch were unable to tour the laboratory.
Protocol changes are imminent
During a media Q & A session, minister Steenhuisen said the department is working hard to adjust protocols to allow private veterinarians to assist with the vaccination process. “We’ve said from the beginning that state veterinarians cannot do this alone. They need assistance. That is why we are working on a protocol to invite private vets to aid them,” Steenhuisen said, adding that one of the challenges is that government cannot remunerate veterinarian fees of R2 000 per hour.
While discussions are ongoing on how private veterinarians could be compensated, Steenhuisen said that this will likely boil down to a public service, benefiting both clients and the broader South African society.
More vaccines on the horizon
According to Steenhuisen, the first 1,5 million units of Dollvet vaccine from Turkey, being imported by Dunevax Biotech, are expected to arrive in South Africa next week. Government procurement will take priority, aiming to extinguish the current FMD crisis as effectively as possible.
The official strategy uses an ‘outlier’ approach with heat maps to determine where the vaccines should be administered first. Similar to fighting a wildfire, the idea is to contain the spread from the edges. That is the reason why KwaZulu-Natal, the epicentre of the FMD outbreaks, will not receive vaccines immediately. Instead, healthy animals in unaffected provinces will be vaccinated first to create a ‘firebreak’ between herds.
Steenhuisen added that protocols for private vaccinations to assist with vaccinations need to be in place before Dollvet can be rolled out. – Susan Marais, Plaas Media
