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China-Africa Trade Information Service
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China-Africa Trade Information Service
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As a big animal husbandry country in Africa, Tanzania has been trying to build its own livestock vaccine production capacity. At present, five types of the vaccines had been produced since 2014 and that the remaining six were at various stages of trial.
Tanzania gears up to become self-reliant on livestock vaccine production, with the country’s veterinary laboratory agency (TVLA) set to manufacture at least eleven such products by 2020.Meanwhile, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries is working on a ‘decree’ that would make the livestock vaccination compulsory.
The TVLA revealed yesterday that to date, five types of the vaccines had been produced since 2014 and that the remaining six were at various stages of trial.
Dr Furaha Mramba, Chief Executive Officer of the TVLA, explained that the rabies vaccination was one of those on trials and that full production would commence next year.
Others on trials are Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Contagious CaprinePleuropneumonia (CCPP), Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Lumpy Skin Disease and peste des petits ruminants (PPR).
“It’s cost-saving when the country produces its own vaccines instead of importing them,” Dr Mramba said yesterday in Dar es Salaam.
She cited the five types of vaccinations already on the market as Anthrax (to prevent a serious bacterial disease of sheep and cattle, typically affecting the skin and lungs); Black quarter (to prevent an infectious bacterial disease most commonly caused by Clostridium chauvoei) .
Others are Brucellosis S-19, TEMEVAC 1-2 and TEMEV AC 1-2. She was speaking at the launch of a campaign against rabies in Moshi district, Kilimanjaro region, an event held at the ministry head offices.
The campaign will be implemented by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership with the government.
The launch went together with the delivery of 33,700 rabies vaccines worth 103m/-, a donation from USAID – an event officiated by the ministry’s Deputy Minister Abdallah Ulega, who stressed that the ministry would come up with the decree to enforce livestock vaccination.
“After introduction of this decree, the livestock keepers who will not vaccine their cattle will risk legal action,” Mr Ulega said, stressing that rabies was a major threat across the country, often leading to human deaths.
Tanzania loses an estimated 1,500 persons to rabies every year, mostly among “the underserved people.” FAO country representative Mr Fred Kafeero said, the country office would continue to work with Government in supporting the livestock sector on both sides of the United Republic “in ensuring good animal health.
He said the organization would also support the government through surveillance of country’s priority zoonotic diseases, upgrading veterinary laboratories through providing essential equipment, reagents and training.
