The department of agriculture says the first batch of 1-million high-potency foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine doses from Argentine manufacturer Biogénesis Bagó will arrive in SA this weekend, marking the first phase of a broader supply agreement.
A further 5-million doses are scheduled to follow in March, as the government accelerates efforts to contain outbreaks and stabilise the livestock sector.
By the end of March, more than 5-million doses are expected to have entered the country from three international suppliers.
Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen said the vaccines form part of a revised national strategy aimed at transitioning SA to “FMD-Free Status with Vaccination”. The plan involves proactive vaccination of the national herd of more than 14-million cattle, with a target of immunising 80% by December 2026.
In addition to the Argentine supply, the Botswana Vaccine Institute has delivered 2-million doses since the recent outbreak and will continue providing vaccines monthly. Further doses will be sourced from Turkish supplier Dollvet through its local agent, Dunevax.
Local production
Domestic production has resumed after a gap of more than two decades. On February 6 the Agricultural Research Council handed over its first batch of 12,900 locally produced FMD vaccines, which have been distributed to provinces. The council has committed to producing 20,000 doses a week, scaling up to 200,000 a week in 2027.
By February 16, 836 open outbreaks and 27 closed outbreaks had been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health, bringing the total to 865 nationwide. The Free State has 245 open outbreaks, KwaZulu-Natal 202 and Gauteng 188. Other affected provinces include the North West (106), Mpumalanga (63), the Eastern Cape (18), Limpopo (10), the Western Cape (3) and the Northern Cape (1).
By February 16, 836 open outbreaks and 27 closed outbreaks had been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health, bringing the total to 865 nationwide.
All infected properties are placed under quarantine. Movement of live cloven-hoofed animals and unprocessed products is prohibited, and farmers are required to implement biosecurity measures. If controls cannot be effectively applied, the department may declare a disease management area, treating the zone as a single epidemiological unit subject to uniform restrictions.
Private veterinarians may register in terms of the Animal Diseases Act to administer vaccines as part of the rollout, expanding capacity to meet the 80% vaccination target.
The department has also established a dedicated foot-and-mouth control centre and a toll-free support line to provide guidance on symptoms, permits, vaccine availability and farm biosecurity.
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