“About 4000 goats have died following a sheep and goats plague that struck Burundi for the first time in December 2017,” Déo Guide Rurema, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, told journalists on Tuesday, 13 March 2018. Ha added that the National Veterinary Laboratory of Bujumbura as well as the Pan African Center of Quality Control of Vaccines of the African Union confirmed this plague.
Minister of Agriculture and Livestock “”About 4000 goats have died following a sheep and goats plague that struck Burundi for the first time in December 2017”
This disease that came from Uganda has mostly affected the provinces of Gitega, Kirundo, Mwaro, Karuzi and Muramvya, said Minister Rurema.
To prevent the spread of this epizootic disease, the Ministry of Agriculture has taken emergency measures namely the ban on the movement of sheep and goats and their importation. Déo Guide Rurema says the ministry has also set up two crisis management committees for the prevention and protection of the spread of this animal plague.
He states that the World Bank, IFAD and FAO have contributed about US $ 3,000 to finance various activities to combat this epizootic, arguing that the spread of this disease has significantly reduced thanks to the efforts of the Ministry’s technicians and administrative officers.
To eradicate this sheep and goats plague, the Agriculture and Livestock Minister indicates that a vaccination campaign will start by the end of March 2018. “We also plan to hold training sessions for trainers of vaccination agents from March 19 to 21,” says Rurema adding that the ministry plans to distribute sheep and goats in the most affected areas after the eradication of this plague.
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