Import of FMD vaccines likely to be banned
Staff Reporter :
The government is likely to impose ban on import of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) cattle vaccines as the African drug is not applicable for Bangladesh.
The vaccines are being imported from African countries and marketed in the country randomly violating the guidelines of World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
Considering the disadvantages of the vaccines, a High Court Bench has issued a rule asking to know why the customs clearance or registration of the vaccines should not be declared illegal.
After the hearing of the writ, the bench comprising Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Showkat Ali issued the rule and asked the concerned authorities to comply
with the rule by four weeks, according to Advocate Mohammad Rakid Uddin, who filed the writ.
Experts also apprehended that the African diseases might outbreak in the country and spread to human body due to the vaccine as it is produced and applicable only for some African countries as per the policy.
The WOAH has set different vaccine production and use rules for the Africa, Asia, Central Asia, America and Australia regions according to the environment and climate to cure the cattle disease.
Primarily the drug used to import as oral vaccine and latter in 2019, it was changed to injectable. But despite the changes in paper, the vaccine remains a liquid bottled oral and according to the International Drug Policy, oral drugs and injectable formulations are not the same at all.
Under this circumstance, a right body also submitted a written complaint to the Livestock Department for cancelling and banning the vaccine immediately.
The organization claimed that the WOAH has determined what FMD vaccine will be produced for Bangladesh. As per the demand of the Livestock Department of our country, the Asia-1 vaccine is produced in the country and the Animal Drug Administration gives clearance through tender.
But the FMD vaccines imported by Onepharma Limited-Vaccine Pool-4 (O. A. Sat 1.2.3), Pool-5, (O. A. Sat 1, 2) Pool-6 (O, A, Sat 1, 2, 3)-are very dangerous and harmful for the cattle as well as public health, it alleged.
