National mass vaccination programme to curb foot-and-mouth disease

Cabinet has approved the proposal to implement a national mass vaccination programme for cloven-hoofed animals as a core containment and recovery measure for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in South Africa.

FMD is a serious and highly contagious viral disease that spreads quickly among cloven-hoofed animals.

Briefing the media in Pretoria recently, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Cabinet was informed about the scale and severity of the FMD outbreak in the country.

“The vaccination programme will cover the national herd of approximately 14 million cattle, which will require an estimated 28 million vaccines over the next 12 months,” said the Minister.

She added that the mass vaccination programme will be supported by central procurement to ensure the correct vaccine is used for the circulating strain. The strategy details the vaccination prioritisation of provinces in line with the extent of the outbreak.

“Cabinet was informed of the two million vaccines available to kick off the vaccination programme. Cabinet appeals to farmers to observe the movement control measures in place as an effective measure to limit the spread,” Minister Ntshavheni said.

Additionally, she said Cabinet has confidence that the rebuilding of local vaccine manufacturing capacity within the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) will help South Africa reclaim its FMD-free status from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

The Agricultural Research Council’s Onderstepoort Veterinary Research facility has resumed production of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines for the first time in more than 20 years.

The first batch of locally produced vaccines was officially handed over on 6 February 2026. The vaccine is registered as a stock remedy under Act 36 of 1947 and meets all required standards for quality, safety and efficacy.

Between 2010 and 2018, the ARC undertook extensive research within its existing facilities aimed at strengthening regional vaccine capacity.

The programme sought to identify new candidate vaccine strains appropriate for use within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, adapt the strains for large-scale in vitro cultivation in bioreactors to improve yields, and assess their ability to elicit protective immunity both immunologically and clinically.

Researchers also evaluated vaccine effectiveness and the duration of immunity to inform appropriate field vaccination schedules.

“Cabinet extends its appreciation to the farming community, who have worked tirelessly to complement the efforts of the Department of Agriculture to curb the current outbreak of FMD,” Ntshavheni concluded.

If you suspect foot-and-mouth disease, do not delay — report it immediately to your nearest State Veterinarian and visit www.nda.gov.za for more information.