08 Jun 2015

Debswana has partnered with the University of Botswana’s Department of Biological Sciences to fund a research project to develop vaccines for Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), Rabies and Pestes des Tetits Ruminants (PPR).

The fatal and highly contagious diseases are said to be endemic and normally attack ruminants in Botswana.

A press release from Debswana states that the project, funded by Debswana to the tune of P1.2 million for a three year period, is being conducted in partnership with the Botswana Vaccine Institute, the National Veterinary Lab and the Pitzer College in the United States.

It says this funding exemplifies Debswana’s dedication to uplifting the lives of Batswana, supporting government programmes and investing in the future of the country.

The statement notes that vaccines for Lumpy Skin Disease, Rabies and Pestes des Tetits are very expensive hence through the development of this technology by local researchers, it is hoped that in future Botswana farmers will be able to access and afford to buy these vaccines.

According to the release, the principal investigator of the research project, Dr Sununguko Wata Mpoloka, indicated that, the reasons behind the partnership with the Pitzer College in the United States are that UB had previously established a long term student exchange programme with the college.

“Pitzer College has a proven cost effective technology that can easily be adopted to help develop vaccines for these diseases locally,” states the release.

It further states that previous small scale laboratory tests have shown signs of potential success on animal models, and for the next six months, the researchers plan to scale up these tests. Ends