Confusion reigns about Rift Valley fever vaccination

CONFUSION about which animals should be vaccinated against Rift Valley fever (RVF) is rife in the panic-stricken Namibian farming community.

At the same time, the little vaccine that has been available has flown off the shelves within days and suppliers ‘hope and pray’ to receive more vaccines by next week.The disease broke out on seven Namibian farms two weeks ago, killing at least 17 animals. About 35 farms in the Hardap and Karas Regions are still regarded as high-risk areas.Dr Cleopas Bamhare, the acting chief veterinary officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, yesterday said the understanding at this stage was that all live animals needed to have been vaccinated at least 21 days ago before the animals may be exported to South Africa (SA).Agra had to cancel all its auctions countrywide the past week as a result of the crippling RVF outbreak. Its livestock operational manager, Patrick van der Westhuizen, yesterday said a meeting would be held today to decide whether to resume auctions next week. ‘There is a question mark behind it. Some of the guys are, however, experiencing serious money shortages already.’The cancellation of these auctions has also hit livestock speculators particularly hard, it was reported earlier. The Namibia Agricultural Union earlier warned that the ban on exports as a result of the outbreak would jeopardise small-stock farming. This industry already bears the brunt of the export limits imposed by the small-stock marketing scheme.Morné Nel, responsible for ordering Agra’s inventories, said they had ordered 24 000 doses of vaccine from SA but expected them to arrive in the country only by next week. Moreover, he said, there was a lot of confusion in the farming community about exactly which animals should be vaccinated.Swavet, another supplier, received 7 500 doses on Monday, which were sold out by Wednesday. It has ordered another 20 500 doses which are expected to arrive in Namibia next week.Bamhare said the confusion about which animals should be vaccinated arose because South Africa was battling with an even bigger outbreak of the disease. About 20 people and hundreds of animals have died in SA as a result of the disease. ‘It is a crisis. They (SA) have their own issues to deal with and cannot stop everything to attend to our enquiries,’ he said.Asked whether cooler weather would soon curb the disease, Bamhare said according to his information, it is becoming warmer in the South – the only area affected so far. The disease is spread mainly by mosquitoes, which thrive in warm weather.It is the first time since 1985 that cases of RVF have been reported in Namibia.