The project will highlight the importance of the vaccination of cats and dogs.

The Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG), part of World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), has launched a project to improve understanding of infectious diseases and of the importance of vaccinating dogs and cats across Sub-Saharan Africa.

It will also engage with local veterinary surgeons to advise them on optimal vaccination practice.

The four-year project follows similar initiatives completed by the VGG in Asia and Latin America, both of which resulted in the creation of a set of Regional Vaccination Guidelines that provide a reference guide for veterinary surgeons in those regions.

The Sub-Saharan Africa project will include a review of infectious diseases, current vaccination practice, commercial and regulatory challenges and veterinary education across the region, with the intention of producing Regional Vaccination Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa in 2026.

The project started in May 2023, when VGG members visited South Africa to meet key opinion leaders, including first opinion veterinary practitioners, representatives of small animal veterinary associations and academics, and made site visits to veterinary practices in Cape Town and Pretoria.

The group also met with key government officials responsible for licensing small animal vaccines, representatives from the pharmaceutical industry and groups involved with rabies control.

As part of the regional project the VGG has provided continuing education (CE) events attended by 150 veterinary surgeons in Cape Town and Pretoria, during which they shared the results of their survey of local demographics relating to the occurrence of infectious diseases and vaccination protocols.

Over the next three years, the group will continue their research and consultation activities in Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria.

Dr Mary Marcondes, who chairs the VGG, said: “A number of scientific issues relating to animal vaccination in Sub-Saharan Africa need to be fully resolved and the region also faces unique challenges in the form of significant infectious diseases, such as rabies. These challenges will make our work in Sub-Saharan Africa both important and rewarding.

“We look forward to learning more about the current situation in each of the countries we visit before offering our insights and experience in the form of our Regional Vaccination Guidelines. We hope they will help to enhance vaccination practice in the region and, in so doing, support the welfare of companion animals.”

Image (C) WSAVA