10 Feb 2014

The annual vaccination for anthrax, quarter evil, contagious abortion and rabies were carried out in Kgalagadi and Ghanzi districts in the financial years 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013.

Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Mr Oreeditse Molebatsi told Parliament that the numbers of animals vaccinated and those that were actually vaccinated for anthrax were 235 230 in 2010/2011, 61 008 in 2011/2012 and 124 499 in 2012/2013 respectively.

He said livestock was vaccinated but not adequately against quarter evil, contagious abortion and rabies diseases during the financial years 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. He said departmental resources including personnel were deployed to control the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in zones six and seven.

He said consequences of not vaccinating against these diseases during the same periods were that livestock was not adequately protected against these diseases, while there might be outbreaks.

He, however, said his ministry was monitoring the situation and that it would assist whenever there were suspected cases. He said a provision had been made for farmers to collect the vaccine from their district offices and vaccinate their cattle.

Mr Molebatsi said the numbers of cattle not vaccinated was the difference between the numbers expected and the numbers actually vaccinated in the case of Anthrax.

He said for quarter evil, only young animals were vaccinated and in the case of contagious abortion, only young female animals (heifers) were vaccinated.

The assistant minister was responding to aquestion from  MP for Kgalagadi North, Mr Phillip Khwae, who wanted the minister to state whether the annual vaccination for anthrax, quarter evil, contagious abortion rabies were carried out in Kgalagadi and Ghanzi districts in the financial years 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013.

He had also asked whether there were any regions whose livestock was not vaccinated against these diseases during the same periods, and if so, what the consequences were.

The assistant minister was also asked to state the number of livestock which were not vaccinated in Kgalagadi and Ghanzi districts.  ENDS