WASHINGTON: African governments are looking into a new livestock vaccine for Rift Valley Fever (RVF), a deadly virus that infects both humans and animals. The virus has spread across parts of Africa in recent years, but efforts are underway, much to the disappointment of animal rights groups, to find a vaccine. A recent study performed at the Animal Health Research Institute in Egypt revealed that the vaccine causes serious problems as well as abortions in pregnant animals, which are similar to the actual results of the real virus. The researchers urged farmers not to use the vaccine. At the institute, researchers evaluated the effects of the RVF vaccine on experimental goats. Since the injection is designed for such animals, researchers expected to observe considerable benefits from the vaccine, instead they reported that it caused the same harm as the virus itself, rendering it ineffective. No animal welfare group in Egypt has come out against the animal testing, but rights activist Omar Johnson, an Egyptian-British man who has repeatedly attempted to get animal rights organizations in Egypt to speak out, told Bikya Mast that groups are not focused on true animal welfare. “If they were honest about their work, they would at least issue a statement condemning the studies on innocent animals and make their voices heard,” he said. But they remain silent as the testing continues. According to the report, RVF is transmitted by mosquitoes to both humans and animals. And it causes liver problems and death, just like the vaccine. But that has not stopped many media outlets from urging farmers to vaccinate their animals anyway, including even their pregnant animals. Like the H1N1 swine flu vaccine that was pushed heavily last year, the RVF vaccine contains a “live attenuated” strain of the disease right in the syringe. So injecting it into animals exposes them to the exact same live virus that the vaccine is touted as preventing, which typically causes the same harmful symptoms and side effects,” said a similar report. For now, testing on animals to find a vaccine continues, despite pleas from international animal rights activists to stop the use of animals for testing medicine. BM
