By Kuda Pembere in Goromonzi
The Veterinary Services Department under the Ministry of Agriculture have taken the Bolvac vaccine innoculation blitz to Goromonzi, a district in Mashonaland East to protect cattle from theileriosis better known as January Disease.
Bolvac is a locally made vaccine using a Goromonzi strain to fortify bovine immunity against this tick disease affecting cattle.
In an interview with Vet Services Tech department Deputy Director for Diagnostics and Research Dr Chenai Mujuru at Mwanza Diptank in Mwanza Village, Goromonzi, where the vaccine inoculation was demonstrated as part of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week commemorations for Africa being held in Zimbabwe, she said there are 300 000 locally made doses available in country.
Bolvac v is a vaccine that was produced in 1994 from a strain found in Goromonzi at a farm called Boleni hence the name Bolvac. It is proudly Zimbabwean, manufactured in Zimbabwe, produced from a Zimbabwean strain.
“So far we have produced close to 300 000 doses of the vaccine from the time that we started producing the vaccine. And we are also proud we are now able to use this vaccine in our own animals especially when we look at the losses that we have had over the years to January Disease,” she said.
To date, Dr Mujuru said, they have vaccinated 4 000 cattle in the country.
“Farmers suffered heavy losses and we rescuscitaed the manufacturing of this vaccine at a large scale and we will continue with the production of the vaccine so that we will be able to cove a lot of places.
“Right now we are vaccinating what we call the hotspots, the areas that suffered heavy losses from the disease. Those are the areas we are covering at the moment.
“So far I think we hgave vaccinated about 4 000 cattle. We have done vaccination in Matebeleland North, Matebeleland South, Midlands, Masvingo and today we are doing Mashonaland East,” she said.
