This is according to Dr Misheck Mulumba, senior manager of research in animal health at the Agricultural Research Council’s Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, OVI.

Mulumba says they are seeing increasing migration of animal diseases that were traditionally limited to the Southern African Territories (SAT) to North Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. This includes diseases like the SAT 1, 2 and 3 strains of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), as well as classical swine fever.

“Normally when there is insecurity, nomadic tribes that have been displaced move with their animals. Of course, you can track most of these disease spreads through these routes, and then also illegal movement of animals and animal products.

“So that in itself - looking forward, looking into the future – means that the market for SAT vaccines has actually expanded.”

He says the only place currently producing the FMD SAT vaccines is Botswana’s Vaccine Institute. Mulumba told OFM News local researchers at OVI are now producing limited quantities of a new FMD vaccine but will need to get practices in place to ramp up to commercial vaccine production levels.

“We have been developing our own methods, which are new and even more effective. So far, we can produce a limited quantity.

“But when you talk about such production, it also involves what we call Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). You look at a whole battery of factors – the infrastructure, personnel, and the quality assurance systems that you have in place.”

OFM News