27 Feb 2013

There is no big difference between the old and purified vaccine of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), says Dr Moetapele Letshwenyo.

Addressing stakeholders at a meeting on FMD control resolutions in Maun last week, Dr Letshwenyo said the vaccines were almost the same.

Dr Letshwenyo, who is the deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, said  the only difference was that the new vaccine had been purified by removing impurities that would make it more effective in comparison to the old vaccine.

Dr Letshwenyo, however, cautioned farmers not to expect miracles with the purified vaccine as it was still work in progress.

Furthermore, Dr Letshwenyo said he appreciated that Ngamiland had many challanges and issues which needed to be tackled and urged stakeholders not to dwell on misinformed conspiracies, but to work together to tackle issues at hand.

This was in response to farmers who were saying there was a lot of deception around the vaccine.

One farmer, Mr Keapoletswe Keapoletswe said he refused to have his cattle vaccinated because the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) wanted to pass off the old one for the purified vaccine.

He also said the DVS said the purified vaccine was expensive, and thus resorted to using the old vaccine.

Mr Keapoletswe further said the outbreak of FMD emerges in certain areas whenever BMC is open, which makes them suspicious.

He said no cattle have been slaughtered from Kareng since 2007, saying it negatively affects farmers from such areas. ENDS