With a confirmed case of African Horse Sickness in Kenya, Africa, horse owners in the area are being challenged when it comes to finding the vaccine necessary to vaccinate horses against the dreaded disease.
Lack of vaccine - Threat to horse health
Officials are asking horse owners to send a formal complaint regarding the lack of African Horse Sickness vaccine to the state-run Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), the supplier of the vaccine.
According to officials with the Research Assistance and Surveillance Project, reports are starting to come in from horse owners complaining that (1) they are “unable to find AHS vaccines because many outlets are out of stock and waiting for orders” and (2) that “the bottles containing the sterile water are half empty”!
Officials are asking horse owners to send a formal complaint regarding the lack of vaccine to the state-run Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), the supplier of the vaccine.
"This has been an on-going problem over the last few years and we find it very serious and totally unacceptable. We need to take action on this and lodge a formal complaint with OBP and the distributors BAYER, as well as DAFF who are responsible for ‘Disease Control’ – but please horse owners – we need written complaints in this regard to be sent to us at e-mail – info@ahsequilink.co.za.
Whatever problems you are having – please let’s complain to the right people otherwise nothing will change and they will remain ‘in denial’ that problems exist!
Citing the fact that syringes are needed and needle length is very important, it is noted that another ridiculous problem is that OBP no longer supply any syringes with the AHS vaccine and this poses a significant risk, because the length of needle is extremely important in making sure the injection is giving correctly – just under the skin.
"If not given as it should be, to induce immune response reaction in the lymph nodes, it can effect the immunity achieved from this vaccine or hurt your horse if you accidentally inject into muscle. We have already complained to OBP about this and they have assured us that they will in future (maybe next year) try to “supply the correct syringes to the outlets selling the vaccines” but why they cannot just include them in the pack remains a mystery!"