The government is in consultation with the poultry industry as it considers vaccines against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which previously was not allowed in South Africa.
This is according to the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (Dalrrd) spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo, who said various points were being discussed.
The South African Poultry Association has urgently requested that the vaccine approval be expedited and a clear timeline be provided to the industry as millions of chickens have been culled in South Africa due to the rapid spread of HPAI.
Ngcobo said in a Business Report interview this week that vaccination against HPAI would be controlled by the government.
"The vaccine will not be available for sale to the general public. Factors that must be taken into account include the safety and efficacy of the vaccine used, the biosecurity measures, surveillance and movement control required for approval of vaccination on farm level, the exit strategy, and how to deal with vaccinated farms that could potentially become HPAI infected," he added.
Ngcobo said importing countries might insist on the submission of detailed documentation of the amended surveillance in vaccinated flocks to reliably exclude HPAI infection in such flocks, according to the additional World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) requirements for countries zones or compartments that practise vaccination.
So far Namibia and Botswana have suspended the importation of poultry and poultry products from South Africa due to the outbreak of HPAI.
Importing countries might insist on the submission of detailed documentation of the amended surveillance in vaccinated flocks to reliably exclude HPAI infection in such flocks according to the additional WOAH requirements for countries zones or compartments that practise vaccination, he said.
The authorities responsible for the registration of vaccines would ensure that the use of these vaccines would be safe to the poultry being vaccinated and humans consuming products from vaccinated poultry prior to the registration of such vaccines.
"All vaccinated birds would have to be slaughtered at registered abattoirs, which would include inspections of the carcasses and assurance that only meat fit for human consumption enters the domestic market," Ngcobo said.
Importing countries might insist on the submission of detailed documentation of the amended surveillance in vaccinated flocks to reliably exclude HPAI infection in such flocks according to the additional WOAH requirements for countries zones or compartments that practise vaccination, he said.
France began vaccinating ducks against bird flu to try and stem the virus that killed millions of birds worldwide, a move that prompted the US to impose trade restrictions on French poultry imports, Reuters report.
Earlier this week Izaak Breitenbach, the general manager for Broiler Organisation at the Sapa, urgently appealed to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) and the Dalrrd to consider the gravity of of the industry's request and expedite the approval for the use of the locally made H7 vaccine and the importation of the H5 and H7 HPAI vaccines.
"The food security and livelihoods of the people in the industry and the stability of our economy are in jeopardy. In addition, bird welfare remains compromised and neglected despite the availability of an effective health solution in a form of providing vaccines to veterinarians who, as per the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Act 19 of 1982, must protect and promote the health and welfare of animals," Breitenbach said.
The organisation said the government could support to make a significant difference in averting a crisis of unprecedented proportions.
Sapa said it understood that a lack of resources could hinder the ability of all role players to quickly approve the necessary vaccines.
"The South African poultry industry is committed to collaborating with Dalrrd and other regulatory bodies to expedite the approval of the locally manufactured H7 and the importation of H5 and H7 HPAI vaccines. The industry can commit to creating a special levy or fund, contributed to by companies across the industry, to gather the necessary resources, whether financial or human, to support this vital initiative," it said.
Sapa said it understood that regulatory challenges had hindered the speedy importation of the necessary vaccines.
Dalrrd and Sahpra had set aside the Section 21 application under the Medicines Act and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 (Act 101) in favour of the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act No. 36 of 1947 (Act 36) to approve the registration of locally manufactured vaccine as well as the importation of the vaccine.
Breitenbach said that they were uncertain about the timeline for approval and were concerned that it might still take months or even years, despite promises from the government that the registration of vaccines was being prioritised.
"In the alternative, we request that the Registrar of Fertilisers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies urgently permits the import of the vaccines despite such vaccines not being registered in South Africa, in accordance with section 16(2) of Act 36. We believe that this is necessary in order to prevent massive losses in terms of livelihoods, food security, welfare and GDP (gross domestic product)."
South Africa is not alone in facing the HPAI scourge.
Gene editing in the works
Meanwhile, scientists in Britain have found they can partially protect chickens from bird flu infections by editing their genes, signalling a new potential strategy to reduce the spread of the deadly virus.
Reuters reports researchers said they used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to make specific changes to a gene called ANP32 that is essential to support flu viruses inside chickens' cells. CRISPR is a type of molecular "scissor" technology that scientists can use to edit DNA.
Flu viruses hijack proteins like ANP32 inside cells to help themselves replicate, and the edits in chickens were designed to stop the growth of bird flu.
Experiments showed that almost all of the gene-edited chickens showed resistance to lower doses of a less lethal form of bird flu than the H5N1 strain that has circulated the globe recently, said Wendy Barclay, a flu expert and professor at the Imperial College of London.
When birds were exposed to much higher levels of the virus, though, about half of the gene-edited chickens had breakthrough infections, she said.
"We can move toward making chickens resistant to the virus but we're not there yet," Barclay said. "We would need more edits - more robust edits - to really shut down the virus replication."
The findings were set to be published in Nature Communications this week.
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