On a cold morning at 06:20 on Tuesday 25 April 2023, just over 100 Faculty of Veterinary Science students and three academic staff members set out on an excursion to conduct an outreach in Rust de Winter. This was a resuscitation of the COVID-19-hampered, annual Rust de Winter vaccination campaign which is a collaborative effort between the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD), Faculty of Veterinary Science (Community Engagement Group, Onderstepoort Veterinary Student Committee [OPVSC] and Veterinary Student Community Outreach [VetSCO]) and the Farmers’ Association of Rust de Winter. This year’s event was initiated by Prof Chris Marufu, Prof Musafiri Karama, Ali Makgato of GDARD, and student leaders from OPVSC and VetSCO. The other academic staff member who volunteered to assist in this outreach was Dr Alfred Kgasi. The main objectives of the outreach were to vaccinate smallholder farmers’ livestock while providing students with an opportunity to gain practical skills and to educate and upskill emerging farmers. 

World Animal Vaccination Day is observed on 20 April every year to raise awareness about the importance of vaccinating animals against various infectious diseases. The day also aims to promote the welfare of animals and their role in human society. For that reason, during the outreach students conducted vaccinations, and shared some of their knowledge with the farmers. Vaccines are instrumental in preventing the transmission of diseases among animals, which could potentially impact humans as well. This day provides an occasion to recognise the crucial role vaccines play in safeguarding both animals and humans.

During the outreach, the students, who were composed of undergraduate Veterinary Science and Veterinary Nursing students in different years of study and a couple of postgraduate MSc and PhD students, were divided into 13 teams of about eight students each. Each team of students travelled with a veterinarian or an animal health technician who supervised them. Student groups were assigned to different rural farms to vaccinate livestock and educate the farmers. It was a great experience for many students considering that this outreach allowed them to utilise their skills and share their knowledge with the farmers. This also was a great opportunity for some students to improve their confidence and communication skills. On the other hand, farmers gained more information about animal handling, disease prevention, and disease management.

Through this collaborative effort, we were able to vaccinate about 4 000 animals (cattle, sheep, and goats) against anthrax, blackleg, and lumpy skin diseases, while a small group of students also vaccinated 20 dogs against rabies at the nearby Vergenoeg Mine. Farmers were also equipped with knowledge and skills in animal husbandry, animal handling, and welfare. Therefore, it is evident that community engagement is a crucial transformative tool that can be used to address some of the major One Health challenges.

Special thanks go to:

• Ali Makgato, Dr Farah Abdool-Khader, and the GDARD team for liaising with farmers and arranging the vaccination campaign.
• Rust de Winter Farmers’ Association for their support and for allowing us to engage in this activity in their community.
• Dr Eugene Machimana for assistance with funding the Onderstepoort (OP) delegation’s trip and catering.
• Metse Mdlongwa and the Department of Security Services for assistance with security clearance.
• The South African Police Service (SAPS) Rust de Winter for providing round-the-clock security and patrolling the area during the event.
• The Faculty of Veterinary Science and OPVSC (Veterinary Student Committee) for permitting and mobilising students to participate in this event.