Africa-Press – Botswana. President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has called for the careful study of TransBoundary Animal Disease (TADs) patterns in order to come up with strategies underpinned by information sharing and regional collaboration.
Officiating at the 25th World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Regional Commission for Africa conference in Gaborone monday, he challenged delegates to come up with credible, practicable and pragmatic recommendations.
The recommendations must be convertible into strategies for Africa and blocs such as SADC to implement, said Dr Masisi.
The President expressed concern that the prevalence of TADs appeared to be increasing despite technological advancement and availability of expertise as well as resources both regionally and internationally.
TADs, in particular Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), were a major obstacle to Africa’s developmental agenda and had reversed the gains made in the eradication of poverty, he said.
Zeroing in on FMD, President Masisi said the disease had decimated the international livestock trade and was a major contributor to the continuing under-exploitation of the valuable resource in Africa.
He said the situation had contributed to marginalisation of people as they could not participate in the high value global trade.
“For Botswana, FMD presents a special problem as the livelihoods of our people in rural areas depend on livestock and the periodic outbreaks of the disease in certain zones is highly disruptive to their lives,” said Dr Masisi.
The President said the emergence of a new FMD serotype in Southern Africa was of great concern because it would not only bring complexity in the control of the disease but also had cost and affordability implications.
With FMD vaccine prices already high, Dr Masisi said it was obvious they would skyrocket with another serotype in the picture.
Another cause for concern was the spreading of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) or goat plague across the continent, he said.
“Goats are the backbone of rural economies, especially in developing countries.
In Botswana, we have prioritised the development of the small stock sector because of its huge potential to support livelihoods and create employment,” he said.
He said Botswana was also worried about the emerging problem of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
“The country has not been spared the horrendous effects of AMR. A clear example is the occurrence of multidrug resistant strains of Tuberculosis,” he said.
He informed his audience that government was in the process of establishing the Botswana Public Health Institute to coordinate public health emergencies and emerging health risks including zoonosis and AMR.
He said the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) has an experience of over 40 years in the manufacture of livestock vaccines, adding that government has prioritised FMD vaccine to ensure protection of livestock of its citizens as well as those of neighbouring countries.
“To date, the SADC region relies on the provision of FMD vaccines and others from BVI. BVI exports over 90 per cent of its production to over 20 countries across Africa.
“BVI’s vision is to be a global centre of excellence for infectious disease control in order to address the continued prevalence of infectious diseases that economically threaten livestock trade especially by African countries,” said Dr Masisi.
BVI, he said, was a critical stakeholder in ensuring sustained efforts towards the One Health Concept.
The four-day conference, which ends Friday, is attended by animal health experts from across Africa.
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