Lack of vaccines fuels foot-and-mouth disease spread beyond SA

SA’s foot-and-mouth disease has spread like wildfire, with suspected cases now reported in neighbouring countries while farmers wait for vaccines. The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) has warned the disease is spreading rapidly through many farm animals, such as cows, sheep and goats, as well as wild animals like buffaloes. The disease, which is caused by a highly contagious virus, was mostly due to the lack of vaccines, NSPCA spokesperson Jacques Peacock said.

The current situation reflects on the government and its failure to plan, execute and monitor their plans to deal with outbreaks and risks, said Rebone Moerane, senior lecturer in veterinary science at the University of Pretoria. “If we substituted or replaced the outbreak with a contagious zoonotic disease, millions of people would be infected, leading to a possible high mortality rate. “Despite being warned more than a decade ago, the government – and the department of agriculture, in particular – failed to put interventions in place to provide incentives to rural livestock farmers working in the so-called infected zone.

“These farmers were expected to bring their cattle for weekly inspections and have their livestock vaccinated three times a year. “The initial cases recorded between 2019 and 2022 could not be contained because of ineffective veterinary services,” Moerane said. Some veterinary officials do not have offices; do not have basic resources such as gloves; are responsible for large areas (municipalities and sometimes district municipalities); and some are expected to travel between 500km and 1 000km a month to perform their duties, he said. Veterinary services cannot be expected to deal with outbreaks without the necessary funds.