By Lawrence Paganga
An outbreak of theileriosis, commonly known in Zimbabwe as January disease, has claimed over 500 cattle in Masvingo province since the start of the year, a senior veterinary official has said.
Masvingo acting provincial veterinary services department director, Kudakwashe Makwengudze said the tick-borne disease had so far affected over 1 000 cattle in five districts in the province, namely Masvingo, Gutu, Chivi, Bikita, and Zaka.
The disease has also been reported in Binga, Matabeleland North, Midlands province, and Guruve in Mashonaland Central.
“As a way of preventing the spread of diseases among cattle, as vet department, we are doing awareness campaigns in all districts in the province,” he said.
Makwengudze said that his department had enough dipping and other anti-tick chemicals to cover the province to grapple with the outbreak.
Two years ago, a nationwide outbreak of January disease killed tens of thousands of cattle, a loss which was more keenly felt in the rural areas.
Farmers have been advised to religious take their cattle for dipping in order to control tick borne diseases.
Tick borne diseases are widespread during the wet season and animals are susceptible to many challenges.
Farmers have been assured by the veterinary department that it has adequate dipping chemicals in stock but urged cautious use to reduce livestock mortality due to tick-borne diseases.
Midlands provincial veterinary director, Martin Sibanda, said the chemicals they have should last them throughout the rainy season.
“The supply of chemicals is now in order but the challenge we are having now is that some of the farmers are refusing to bring their cattle for dipping, claiming that dip tanks are the super spreaders of tick-borne diseases, but this is not the case,” he said.
Sibanda said the veterinary department was carrying out awareness campaigns to mobilise communal farmers to bring their cattle for dipping to fight tick-borne diseases.
