The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani and Samuel Kadungure
CATTLE diseases, among them January disease and gall sickness, continue to kill animals in Manicaland, thereby exposing people to infections as some farmers are resorting to slaughtering the infected animals and selling the carcasses to butcheries.
Figures availed to The Manica Post this week reveal that the most prevalent diseases recorded from January to June this year are theilirolisis (January disease – 1 601 cases), followed by Anaplasmosis (gall sickness – 1 029), heartwater (546), red water (467) and sweating sickness (93).
According to the statistics, there was a surge in January disease infections and death cases this year. In fact, figures reported in April alone — a total of 497 January disease infections and 282 deaths — surpassed those recorded for the whole year in 2019, where a cumulative total of 412 infections and 191 deaths were reported. In January, 17 cases were reported, while deaths stood at 14.
February had 420 cases and 217 deaths, while March saw the province recording 392 cases and 208 deaths.
The peak came in April when 497 cases and 282 deaths were recorded.
However, with winter approaching, cases slumped in May to 155 infections and 82 deaths. In June, cases went further down to 120 infections and 53 deaths.
Rough calculations show that with a beast fetching an average of US$400 on the market, from January 2019 to June this year, Manicaland has lost cattle worth about US$418 800. Manicaland veterinary officer, Dr Charles Guri said the storm is not yet over.
Dr Guri said theilirolisis is continuing to wreak havoc and smallholder farmers should consider livestock insurance to mitigate losses.
“The hardest hit districts are Makoni, Buhera and Mutare. Recently, cases have spread to parts of Mutasa, as well as some few areas in Chipinge and Chimanimani. The disease found its way into Manicaland from Mashonaland via Makoni and Buhera. The disease is spread through ticks and infected cattle.
“In reality, not all farmers report diseases to the Department of Veterinary Services for the following reasons. Some attempt to treatment the animals on their own. However, some deaths are too sudden such that the farmer does not get a chance to seek treatment or report the case. Then there are cases of farmers who slaughter to salvage the value of their cattle. We have received reports of illegal cattle movements to abattoirs,” he said.
Dr Guri said availability of dipping chemicals has not improved in the province.
“The situation on dipping chemicals is still dire. At the moment we are having bi-monthly dipping courtesy of the Cyclone Idai Recovery Programme, which is financed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO),” said Dr Guri.
He added: “To combat further outbreaks, there is need to buy adequate acaricide and monitor animal movements with the help of the police force.
“We also need to mobilise resources for checkpoints, investigative sampling and active surveillance. There is also need to control and account for the drugs to keep tally of treated cases.”
Dr Guri’s sentiments were echoed by Coopers business development manager, Professor Joseph Kamuzhanje.
Prof Kamuzhanje added that cattle only need two dipping sessions every month during the winter season; and weekly dipping sessions during summer.
He explained: “Winter coincides with reduced tick infestations and lower chances of animal diseases manifesting, hence the lower figures being reported currently.
“However, the tick count is already high, hence the threat of January disease is still very high,” said Prof Kamuzhanje, adding that the issue has been complicated by the ongoing Covid-19 national lockdown which has seen some farmers abandoning dipping.
Prof Kamuzhanje, who is also a rural development expert, argued that with the right training and capacity building, smallholder livestock farmers can work together to revive the cattle dips in their areas.
He cited the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF), which is being implemented in 22 districts through funding from the European Union Department of International Development (DFID) in conjunction with DVS and Coopers.
Through the programme, trained livestock farmers are pooling resources and purchasing dipping chemicals.
The model was rolled out in March and to date, over $10 000 worth of chemicals have been purchased by the farmers.
“Convincing livestock farmers that it is their responsibility to ensure the good health of their animals is a key building block in growing the country’s livestock sector.”
Prof Kamuzhanje called for investments in dipping infrastructure, indicating that most dip tanks are now in a deplorable state.
“It is also important to make the dip tank the focus of all livestock activities and turn it into an agribusiness hub where farmers, input suppliers, technical experts and abattoirs operators can come together and address all the challenges within the livestock value chain,” he said.
