FARMERS in the Eastern Cape have been urged to vaccinate their animals against Rift Valley fever without delay following a confirmed outbreak of the disease in Jacobsdal in the Free State.
Francois du Toit, chairman of the Eastern Cape Red Meat Producers Organisation, (ECRPO) urged all farmers with susceptible animals – sheep, goats and cattle – to make sure that they vaccinate these animals against this disease as soon as possible.
“It is winter and it is a localised outbreak, so the mosquitoes will most likely die soon. However, making predictions like this is dangerous.
“If we are not careful, we can have the same situation this coming summer as in the summer of 2010, as the conditions of this outbreak are very similar to that of the first case reported in 2009,” he said.
Du Toit said farmers had to remember to only vaccinate healthy animals, not those already infected with the virus as needles can mimic mosquitoes during an outbreak. Live vaccine must not be used on pregnant animals.
“Report all sudden deaths and abortions to your veterinarian and state veterinarian. Also do not handle aborted material without the necessary protective clothing.”
Last year, the disease did not only kill large numbers of sheep and cattle, but even rabbits died of the disease. The disease caused huge losses, especially in the Graaff-Reinet region where a group of 25 farmers lost more than R40 million through the deaths of animals.
The abortion rate was between 10% and 90%.
Steve Galane, a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said humans can be infected with Rift Valley fever if they come into contact with the blood and other body fluids of an infected animal or an aborted foetus.
“Care should be taken when handling possibly infected animals or carcasses of animals that have died from the disease. Symptoms in humans are flu-like and some individuals can develop more serious complications.
“If a person suspects that they might have been infected with Rift Valley fever, he or she must consult a doctor.
“Rift Valley fever outbreaks must be reported, but it is not a controlled disease, which means there are no prescribed control measures,” added Galane.