January 22, 2025
FMD and vaccination: Familiarise yourself with the facts
A recent media article stating that the public could purchase foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines from Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) confused livestock producers. The National Red Meat Producer’s Organisation (RPO National) has taken the matter up with the relevant publication, who then issued a correction afterwards.
However, many producers were left confused and there were questions as to why it could not be done. Why can’t producers protect their animals, and thus businesses, from FMD by vaccinating their animals? The RPO wants to implore producers to always be aware of the facts regarding the regulatory steps that pertain to FMD vaccination.
FMD is a state-controlled disease
FMD is listed as a controlled animal disease under the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act 35 of 1984). Other diseases included in this list of controlled diseases include brucellosis, anthrax, rabies, sheep scab, and approximately 33 other animal diseases. The list can be obtained from the National Animal Health Forum’s (NAHF) website at https://nahf.co.za/controlled-and-notifiable-diseases/.
A controlled and/or notifiable disease means that veterinarians, farmers, farm managers, animal owners, and laboratories are legally required to report a disease to authorities as soon as it, in this case FMD, is suspected on a farm or in an area. A disease reporting form is used for this purpose and can be obtained from the NAHF’s website.
Once reported, a state veterinarian must intervene and test for FMD while the necessary quarantine barriers are implemented. The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) must also be informed of any suspected or confirmed outbreaks.
FMD vaccines and vaccinations
The FMD vaccines used by the National Department of Agriculture (NDA) are procured from the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) according to the stipulated doses needed. The BVI has been hosting the World Animal Health Organisation’s regional reference laboratory for FMD since 1985. As OBP is not a manufacturer or distributor of FMD vaccines, this parastatal cannot sell these vaccines. Although it is possible for producers to purchase and administer vaccines for certain controlled animal diseases (for example brucellosis and anthrax) from vaccine manufacturers, it is essential to understand that it cannot be done for FMD.
In South Africa, vaccinations are only administered continuously (chronic) in the so-called buffer zone (basically an area surrounding the Kruger National Park). Outside of the buffer zone, vaccination is only administered on farms affected by outbreaks. Due to the devastating impact of FMD on dairy herds during the recent 2024 outbreak in the Eastern Cape, the Department of Agriculture deviated from the rule, stating that only affected farms can be vaccinated, allowing neighbouring dairy farms to also apply for vaccination.
Vaccination against FMD is the sole responsibility of the NDA. Only the department can decide when and where animals will be vaccinated against FMD; this state organ administers all FMD vaccines. Once the vaccines have been procured from BVI, they are distributed to the various state veterinarians in the affected areas for administration. Animals vaccinated against FMD must be branded with an ‘F’ on the neck to identify them as vaccinated. The state veterinarians will handle any leftover doses and communicate them to the government, who then decide where to use them.
Know the FMD status of your area
According to the latest update by the NDA (end of November 2024), there are still 38 open cases of outbreaks in the Eastern Cape, and 140 in KwaZulu-Natal, with none in the remainder of our provinces. Should any producer or livestock agent be unsure about the FMD status of your region, you can visit the NAHF’s website and navigate to https://nahf.co.za/update-report-foot-and-mouth-disease-outbreak-2022-2024/
FMD is quite a unique disease in terms of management, as infected animals and vaccinated animals are treated in the same way. This is due to the difficulty in determining whether the animals test positive due to antibodies from the active virus or the vaccine. Infected or vaccinated animals cannot just be moved, sold, or slaughtered; specific procedures must be followed if anything needs to be done. The procedure to move, slaughter, or introduce new animals to the herd is based on a timeframe, starting with Day Zero as the vaccination date, on condition that no new active virus is detected. This is why the vaccine is not available in the open market and cannot be administered as a precautionary measure by everyone.
Conclusion
While vaccinating animals against FMD is the state’s duty, it must be said that biosecurity is everyone’s duty, and it starts at the farm level. Contracting FMD on your farm is devastating. Your income is halted since you cannot move or sell your animals. Producers are once again implored to follow the rules when it comes to buying and transporting animals by insisting on health certificates and proof of said results, and if the government has declared a moratorium on the movement of livestock, not to transport animals in and from the designated zones.
The only way we can limit the spread and, thus, the impact of FMD in future is for every farmer to ensure that he/she does not purchase or sell infected animals and to apply the correct biosecurity rules and quarantine measures on the farm. –Press release, Red Meat Producers’ Organisation
For more information, contact Dr Frikkie Maré on 084 446 6787 or email frikkie@rpo.co.za or visit the websites and links supplied in this press release.
BEK en inenting: Vergewis jou van die feite
Veeprodusente het behoorlik kopgekrap na ’n onlangse mediaberig wat beweer het dat die publiek bek-en-klouseer (BEK)-entstof by Onderstepoort Biologiese Produkte (OBP) kan aankoop. Die Nasionale Rooivleisprodusente-organisasie (RPO Nasionaal) het die saak met die betrokke publikasie opgeneem, waarna die publikasie ’n regstelling gepubliseer het.
Dit het egter groot verwarring by menige produsente veroorsaak en daar is gevra waarom die entstof nie aangekoop kan word nie. Waarom kan produsente nie hul vee, oftewel hul besighede, teen BEK beskerm deur hul vee in te ent nie? Die RPO doen ’n dringende beroep op produsente om hulself altyd van die feite te vergewis wat die beheermaatreëls rondom BEK-inenting betref.
BEK is ’n staatsbeheerde siekte
BEK word as ’n beheerde dieresiekte ingevolge die Wet op Dieregesondheid, 1984 (Wet 35 van 2002) gelys. Ander siektes op die lys van beheerde siektes sluit brusellose, miltsiekte, hondsdolheid, brandsiekte, en bykans 33 ander dieresiektes in. Die lys kan op die Nasionale Dieregesondheidsforum (NAHF) se webtuiste gevind word by https://nahf.co.za/controlled-and-notifiable-diseases/.
’n Beheerde en/of aanmeldbare siekte beteken veeartse, produsente, plaasbestuurders, vee-eienaars, en laboratoriums word wetlik verplig om die siekte, in hierdie geval BEK, by die owerheid te vermeld sodra die vermoede bestaan dat dit op ’n plaas of in ’n gebied teenwoordig is. ’n Siekte-aanmeldingsvorm moet hiervoor gebruik word en kan op die NAHF se webtuiste verkry word.
Sodra dit vermeld is, moet ’n staatsveearts vir BEK toets terwyl die nodige kwarantynpraktyke toegepas word. Die Wêreldorganisasie vir Dieregesondheid (WOAH) moet ook in kennis gestel word van enige verdagte of bevestigde uitbrekings.
BEK-entstof en -inentings
Die BEK-entstof wat die Nasionale Departement van Landbou (NDA) gebruik, word in die voorgeskrewe dosisse vanaf die Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) verkry. Die BVI huisves al sedert 1985 die WOAH se streeksverwysingslaboratorium. Aangesien OBP nie ‘n BEK-entstof vervaardig of versprei nie, kan die instelling nie die entstof verkoop nie. Hoewel produsente entstof vir sekere beheerde siektes (soos brusellose of miltsiekte) by entstofvervaardigers kan aankoop en toedien, is dit noodsaaklik om te verstaan dat dit nie vir BEK geld nie.
In Suid-Afrika word deurlopende (kroniese) inentings slegs in die sogenaamde buffersone (basies die gebied rondom die Nasionale Krugerwildtuin) toegedien. Buite die buffersone geskied inenting slegs op plase wat deur uitbrekings geraak word. As gevolg van die verwoestende uitwerking wat BEK op melkbeeskuddes tydens die 2024-uitbreking in die Oos-Kaap gehad het, het die NDA dié reël aangepas deur te bepaal dat inentings slegs toegedien sal word op plase wat direk geraak word, terwyl naburige plase ook kan aansoek doen vir inentings.
Alleenlik die NDA is verantwoordelik vir inenting teen BEK. Net die departement kan besluit waar en wanneer diere teen BEK ingeënt sal word en hierdie staatsinstansie dien ook alle BEK-inentings toe. Sodra die entstof vanaf die BVI verkry word, versprei die NDA dit na die onderskeie staatsveeartse in die geaffekteerde gebiede sodat dit toegedien kan word. Diere wat teen BEK ingeënt is, moet ’n ‘F’-brandmerk op die nek kry sodat hulle as ingeënt geïdentifiseer kan word. Staatsveeartse sal oorblywende dosisse hanteer en dit aan die staat kommunikeer, waarna die staat sal besluit waar dit gebruik sal word.
Ken jou gebied se BEK-status
Volgens die NDA se jongste inligting (einde November 2024), is daar steeds 38 ‘oop’ uitbrekings in die Oos-Kaap en 140 in KwaZulu-Natal, met geen gevalle in die res van die land nie. Indien ’n produsent of lewende-hawe agent onseker is oor hul gebied se BEK-status, kan hulle die NAHF se webtuiste besoek en hierdie skakel besoek: https://nahf.co.za/update-report-foot-and-mouth-disease-outbreak-2022-2024/.
BEK is ’n unieke siekte in terme van die bestuur daarvan, omdat besmette en ingeënte diere dieselfde behandel word. Die rede hiervoor is dat dit moeilik is om te bepaal of die diere positief toets vir die teenliggaampies in die aktiewe virus of in die entstof. Besmette of ingeënte diere mag nie verskuif, verkoop of geslag word sonder dat spesifieke maatreëls nagekom word nie. Die prosedures rakende die verskuiwing of slag van diere, of die inbring van nuwe diere, word op grond van tydperk bereken en begin met dag zero wat as die dag van inenting beskou word, mits ’n nuwe aktiewe virus nie gevind word nie. Daarom is die entstof nie vrylik op die mark beskikbaar nie en kan dit nie as ‘n voorsorgmaatreël deur almal toegedien word nie.
Ten slotte
Hoewel dit die staat se plig is om vee in te ent, is biosekuriteit álmal se plig en dit begin op die plaas. ’n BEK-uitbreking op ’n plaas is verwoestend. Jou inkomste kwyn aangesien jy nie jou vee mag verskuif of verkoop nie. Die RPO doen dus weereens ’n beroep op produsente om die reëls te volg wanneer vee gekoop en vervoer word, deur aan te dring op gesondheidsertifikate asook bewyse van daardie uitslae. En indien die staat ’n moratorium plaas op die vervoer van vee, moet nie jou vee in of uit die aangewese sones te vervoer nie.
Al hoe ons die toekomstig verspreiding of impak van BEK kan beperk, is as elke boer sorg dat hy/sy nie besmette vee koop of verkoop nie, en die korrekte biosekuriteits- en kwarantynmaatreëls op die plaas toepas. – Persverklaring, Rooivleisprodusente-organisasie
Vir meer inligting, kontak dr Frikkie Maré by 084 446 6787 of epos frikkie@rpo.co.za of besoek die webtuistes en skakels in hierdie persverklaring.