CAPE TOWN, June 1 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen said on Monday that nearly 4.4 million livestock have been vaccinated as part of a nationwide rollout in response to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks.
Speaking at a media briefing at Parliament in Cape Town, Steenhuisen said the vaccine acquisition program was the largest ever undertaken by the country.
"Since February this year, South Africa has procured 13.5 million doses of FMD vaccine and as of May 28, we have vaccinated just under 4.4 million animals across the country," he said.
Last week, according to Steenhuisen, South Africa received 3.5 million doses of FMD vaccine from Argentinean manufacturer Biogenesis Bago, and he said the additional supply would strengthen the country's capacity to accelerate the vaccination rollout in affected and high-risk areas.
The minister added that the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has also approved local company Dunevax to import 14 million doses of the Dollvet vaccine from Turkey.
The first consignment, comprising 4 million doses, is expected to arrive later this month. To date, the government has spent 494 million rand (about 30 million U.S. dollars) on procuring and deploying vaccines.
South Africa has been experiencing recurring FMD outbreaks since last year, with authorities implementing movement restrictions and quarantine measures in affected areas to contain the disease and limit its impact on livestock trade. ■