Enough Rift Valley fever vaccine available

13 April 2010

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture today confirmed that Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) has significantly increased its Rift Valley fever vaccine production.

It is building up an adequate quantity of inactive RVF vaccine. The inactivated vaccine is safe to use on all animals, including pregnant animals. Currently OBP has more than five million doses of live Rift Valley fever vaccine, but this type of vaccine may cause abortions in pregnant animals.

OBP was inundated with requests for inactivated vaccine when the first cases of Rift Valley fever were reported in the Free State and Northern Cape and subsequently ran out of stock. This situation has now been normalised and the Department of Agriculture is urging all livestock farmers to vaccinate as many animals as possible against this mosquito born disease.

The Western Cape has so far only had two confirmed cases of Rift Valley fever in animals and one confirmed human case. All three cases where in the Beaufort West region of the province. The person, a State Vet, has since fully recovered and resumed his duties.

According to the chief director of Veterinary Services at the Western Cape Department of Agriculture, the department's vaccination programme has so far procured and strategically distributed 80 000 units of vaccine at no cost to farmers.

Contact:
Wouter Kriel
Tel: 021 483 4700
Cell: 079 694 3085
E-mail: wouterkriel@gmail.com

Issued by: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Western Cape Provincial Government
13 April 2010
Source: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Western Cape Provincial Government (http://www.elsenburg.com/)