South Africa Receives 1 Million Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccines From Argentina, South Africans React
- The first shipment of one million Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines arrived in South Africa at OR Tambo International Airport
- Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen expressed confidence that the vaccines would help South Africa get ahead of the outbreak
- Social media users weighed in on the arrival of the vaccines, with some noting that it was not manufactured locally
Source: Twitter
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG – John Steenhuisen has welcomed the arrival of the first shipment of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines.
The Minister of Agriculture received one million vaccines on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at the OR Tambo International Airport. The vaccines were sourced from the Biogénesis Bagó in Argentina.
South Africa is currently facing a severe, widespread outbreak of FMD, which has affected cattle across multiple provinces. During his State of the Nation Address on 12 February 2025, Ramaphosa declared it a national disaster and indicated the government’s plans to vaccinate the entire national herd of 14 million cattle.
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Steenhuisen is confident vaccines will help the country fight back
Speaking at the airport following the arrival of the vaccines, the Minister of Agriculture expressed confidence that the vaccines would help South Africa get ahead of the outbreak and help secure what he described as “FMD-Free Status with Vaccination.”
He stated that achieving this status was vital for reopening lucrative global export markets and securing the long-term biosecurity of South Africa’s farming sector.
“We will continue to make sure that we have enough to roll out so that we're able to break the back of this current outbreak, but then also to get South Africa firmly onto a new path.
"We spent a lot of years running around after FMD. These vaccines will give us an opportunity to get ahead of it,” he said.
Source: Twitter
Which provinces would receive the vaccines first?
The minister stated that the delivery was the first phase, with five million extra doses scheduled to arrive in March 2026. He added that while vaccines would be distributed accordingly, the initial focus would be on the provinces hardest hit by the outbreak.
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“The focus will be on the provinces that have been the most affected, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, and the North-West Province, and to some degree in Mpumalanga.
"So, they will get the bulk of this, but every province will receive something from this first batch to enable us to begin breaking the back of the virus going forward,” Steenhuisen said.
South Africans react to the arrival of the vaccines
Social media users weighed in on the arrival of the vaccines, sharing mixed reactions to it. Some commented on the fact that the vaccines came from Argentina.
Conrad Hennig said:
“Unbelievable. To think that at one time Onderstepoort was one of the most respected vet campuses on the planet. It's utterly comraded-out as well now. So sad. Shame.”
Nasme Brink asked:
“So why don’t we produce this medication locally? We did it before.”
Charmaine Meissenheimer stated:
“Anything from Argentina is sus.”
Nkululeko Petros Ndaba asked:
“What were they waiting for all this time? Useless government.”
Avinash Jagannath questioned:
“It saves the animals, but what about human consumption of the animal?”
Other stories about the FMD outbreak
Briefly News has reported on how the government has attempted to tackle the FMD outbreak and many farmers' reactions to it.
- An Eastern Cape farmer blasted John Steenhuisen for failing to curb the outbreak, which has affected many provinces.
- KZN MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure, Martin Meyer, met with farmers in Newcastle to discuss the FMD outbreak.
- Farmers questioned the government's response to the FMD outbreak, urging accountability from Minister Steenhuisen.
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Source: Briefly News
