Page 95 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 3

thereof by the Institute’s workshop had become a pipe dream and the vaccine factory’s equipment therefore hopelessly outdated. One of the most wasteful conse- quences was that many batches of vaccine had to be discarded because they did not meet the quality control standards set for their use in the field.
Consequently the existing policy had to be drastically altered and other means found to support the research components of the Institute financially. R.D. Bigalke, who was the first member of the management of the Institute to use the name ‘vaccine factory’, for the vaccine-manufacturing component of the Institute in official documents, rea- lized that a drastic change to its inadequate financing policy was necessary.
The trade account period
On his first day in 1980 as Director of the Institute, Bigalke had to deal with the serious problem of several deaths from blackquarter in South West Africa/Namibia (now Namibia) caused by Onderstepoort’s anthrax vaccine. This was soon followed by similar reports from South Africa. Tests proved that a batch of anthrax vaccine was contaminated with Clostridium septicum. This episode convinced him that the vaccine factory required more direct, very capable, professional supervision. The bacteriologist, C.M. Cameron, was therefore given the
“On his first day in 1980 as Director of the Institute, Bigalke had
to deal with the serious problem of several deaths from blackquarter in South West Africa/Namibia (now Namibia) caused by Onderstepoort’s anthrax vaccine.”
ONDERSTEPOORT 100
responsibility of supervising the Vaccine Factory. However, Bigalke ensured that he was well informed by regular inspection of the facility.
Bigalke and Cameron next took up the inadequate funding of the Factory with the head office of the Department of Agricultural Technical Services in a con- vincing memorandum. The result was that the Treasury placed the Factory on a ‘trade account’. This meant that the Vaccine Factory would have to earn its own keep out of the sale of the vaccines it produced.
The trade account was implemented on 1 April 1981, the prices of vaccines were increased to accommodate the Factory’s budget and things soon started to im- prove dramatically. Systematic replace- ment of worn out, outdated equipment was properly budgeted for and there was a gradual improvement in the quality of the vaccines produced and the productivity of the Factory.
Moreover, the technical staff of the
Factory could be sent overseas at its own expense to learn the latest technology
and study the equipment required for the production of Onderstepoort vaccines. De- partmental funds for overseas visits had previously been so sparse that such trips
were of necessity limited to research staff
and very senior personnel. It gradually also
became possible to have contract research 185
aimed at the development of new vaccines and im- provement of existing ones done for the Factory by Onderstepoort’s research sections. The total income of the Factory in 1983 was R4,7 million. Initially the existing close ties with the research sections of the Institute were maintained.
F.J. Visser (left) who replaced
P. van Rooyen when he retired
in 1973. In the middle is P.C. Knoetze and on the right B. Smit
Vaccine Production and Onderstepoort Biological Products
1908-2008
Years