By Kuda Pembere
Officials at Zimbabwe’s Department of Veterinary Services Department say they will soon commence the production of an anthrax vaccine.
Diseases such as anthrax, and theileriosis usually manifest during the rainy season. Anthrax is caused by a spore-forming bacterium. It mainly affects animals. Humans can become infected through contact with an infected animal or by inhaling spores.
Speaking to delegates from, World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Africa CDC and Africa Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) during the tour of the central veterinary laboratory (CVL) on Friday, CVL Mr Saidi Bamu said they will soon produce the anthrax vaccine.
We are in the process of trying to make an anthrax vaccine. We are in the initial stages but in future they should be producing anthrax vaccine,” he said. “Anthrax is a problem in Zimbabwe especially during the rainy season when it is in a vegetative state.”
Meanwhile, the Vet Services Department expects the price of buying a single dose of the locally made Bolvac Vaccine for theileriosis to go down to as low as 50 USc due to increased production.
When they started producing the vaccine in 2019, the price was as high as USD6 per dose which could have been beyond the reach of some farmers.
Speaking to journalists at Mwanza Diptank in Mwanza Village, Goromonzi, where the vaccine innoculation was demonstrated as part of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week commemorations for Africa being held in Zimbabwe, Vet Services Tech department Deputy Director for Diagnostics and Research , Dr Chenai Mujuru said it was relieving that Zimbabwe resumed production on the vaccine.
“So far we have produced close to 300 000 doses of the vaccine from the time that we started producing the vaccine. And we are also proud we are now able to use this vaccine in our own animals especially when we look at the losses that we have had over the years to January Disease,” she said.
She also said they vaccination campaign has to date been done in five provinces.
“Farmers suffered heavy losses and we resuscitated the manufacturing of this vaccine at a large scale and we will continue with the production of the vaccine so that we will be able to cove a lot of places. “Right now we are vaccinating what we call the hotspots, the areas that suffered heavy losses from the disease. Those are the areas we are covering at the moment.
“So far I think we hgave vaccinated about 4 000 cattle. We have done vaccination in Matebeleland North, Matebeleland South, Midlands, Masvingo and today we are doing Mashonaland East,” she said.
AU-IBAR Antimicrobial resistance expert Dr Joseph Magona said vaccination was important to reduce the use of antibiotics.
“Vaccination is a way to reduce the use of antibiotics especially in tick-bone disease. If you don’t vaccinate your cattle against January Disease, you are going to use a lot of antibiotics and that will lead to AMR,” he said
Theileriosis, which is primarily found in older, weaker animals, is transmitted by the brown tick (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus). It causes enlargement of the lymph nodes, runny eyes, rough skin, loss of appetite, and eventually virtually certain death.
Tick populations explode during seasons of reasonably excellent rainfall, as has been observed in certain sections of the country, and the disease spreads if they are not controlled by dipping.
