Onderstepoort must provide enough AHS vaccines

For any animal lover, the ability to keep animals safe is of utmost importance, and when you lose a beloved pet or companion due to an accident or old age, it is absolutely devastating. But when it's because of the failures of government institutions, the sense of helplessness is beyond aggravating.

It is a legal requirement in South Africa to vaccinate horses against the deadly African Horse Sickness (AHS), which has an almost 90% mortality rate in unvaccinated horses. AHS is a hemorrhagic disease characterized by high fevers and difficulty breathing. In most cases, it will lead to death due to severe pulmonary edema—too much fluid in the lungs—basically, drowning. 

Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), being the ONLY organisation who has the right to manufacture this vaccine, has failed miserably in providing sufficient vaccinations. They provided the last five years' sales figures (listed below) to saai.org. But this is in no way a true reflection of the willingness of South African horse owners to vaccinate because, as all of us know, it is nearly impossible to find vaccinations even when contacting OBP directly.

• 2023: 6866 units vaccinating approx. 41 196 horses (approx. 11.7% of the population)
• 2022: 4242 units vaccinating approx. 25 452 horses (approx. 7.27% of the population)
• 2021: 6953 units vaccinating approx. 41 718 horses (approx. 11.9% of the population)
• 2020: 8767 units vaccinating approx. 52 602 horses (approx. 15% of the population)
• 2019: 8924 units vaccinating approx. 53 544 horses (approx. 15.3% of the population)

"OBP, as a state-owned entity, has a constitutional and legal duty to ensure the sufficient and timely supply of critical vaccines like those for AHS. This duty is enshrined in the very mandate of OBP, which is to prevent and control animal diseases that impact food security, human health, and livelihoods. However, OBP has consistently failed to meet this obligation" - saai.org [Read saai.org's full statement here]

African Horse sickness is listed by the World Organisation for Animal Health with 'Official Disease Status' due to high death rate -  Read more on WOAH website

Metsweding Equestrian Club    Contact the author of the petition