AHS vaccination period now restricted in Controlled Areas
In a notice dated 26 March 2015, DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries) and SAEVA (South African Equine Veterinary Association) have issued new restrictions regarding the administration of AHS vaccinations to horses in the AHS Controlled Area.
According to the notice, horses situated in the AHS Controlled Area will only be given permission to be vaccinated in the early summer when midge activity is low. The stipulated vaccination window is 1 June – 31 October, with a recommendation that the same policy is voluntarily adopted for the rest of the country. Dispensation to vaccinate outside this window period will need to be sought from the National Director of Animal Health.
The reason for this change is as a result of scientific evidence that suggests the involvement of vaccine in the Porterville outbreak of African horse sickness last year. This is a well described phenomenon with modified live virus vaccines which can be managed by restricting vaccination to the periods of lower vector activity.
