Poultry Association, govt ‘discussing’ approval of H7 vaccine
The SA Poultry Association says it's still discussing the approval of the H7 bird flu vaccine with the government.
It says vaccinations for the H5 virus have already been greenlighted.
"The H5 vaccine has been sort of approved to be used in South Africa, including the protocols which are the guidelines to use those vaccines,” says the association's Abongile Balarane.
"The H7 vaccine is in the process of being registered or approved by the government, so at this stage, we are still waiting for the H7 vaccines to also be approved. So, once we get the H7 vaccines, we’re hoping that in the next winter season at least we will see quite a number of farmers using that vaccine."
The H5N1 and H7N6 avian influenza outbreak was identified in the country last year. The crisis led to a shortage of chickens and pushed up egg prices.
ALSO READ: Bird flu: Meat industry urges govt to fast-track emergency measures
Agriculture officials monitoring the situation have described it as the worst bird flu outbreak in South Africa.
H7 recorded the highest number of cases compared to any other year since 2017.]
Balarane says the industry is trying to get back on its feet.
"So, in December we've seen that there is a bit of improvement now in terms of stocking, lost production. We did indicate it will take us a significant number of months, above 12 months."
MORE ON ECR
