KwaZulu-Natal launches mass vaccination programme to combat Foot-and-Mouth Disease

The KwaZulu-Natal Government has embarked on a Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) awareness drive ahead of a mass vaccination rollout.

On Tuesday, Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, together with his MECs, was all over the province in a drive to raise awareness and implement short-term measures to curb the spread of the disease, such as restricting the movement of livestock.

In an interview on Tuesday, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa said that as the government prepares for a mass vaccination programme, the premier directed all MECs to go to all the districts to inform the people so that they are ready when the rollout starts towards the end of the month.

“We will be starting a mass vaccination rollout towards the end of the month, so we are driving that message to the farming communities throughout the province. We urge cattle owners to be ready for the programme by ensuring that they keep their livestock that grazes far from their homes,” said Madlopha-Mthethwa.

She stated that the province was the worst affected by the disease, which has paralysed the economy and threatened food security, particularly the export market. Although the MEC emphasised that the FMD-infected cattle are safe for human consumption, the export market was severely affected as foreign countries no longer import beef from South Africa because of the disease.

Furthermore, Madlopha-Mthethwa announced that the country has begun to produce its own vaccines, and last week, a first batch of 12,000 was released and ready for rollout, adding that for now, its efficacy would be tested in the less affected Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces.

The locally produced vaccine stays for 12 months in the cattle’s body, while the imported vaccine has a six-month guarantee.

South Africa is currently importing vaccines from Botswana and Turkey. The mass rollout is in line with Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen’s plan to eradicate the disease in the country.

Last week, Steenhuisen announced that he was pulling out of the DA’s leadership race to focus on dealing with the disease, intending to end the disease permanently.

“For the rest of the term of office, I will focus all my time and energy as Minister of Agriculture on defeating the most devastating FMD outbreak our country has ever seen and pursue mass vaccination to ensure that this is the last mass outbreak,” Steenhuisen said.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za