At least six cows have already died and more than ten contracted a contagious disease within one month. Cattle farmers in Makamba area of Rusaka commune in Mwaro province are worried. They ask for a vaccine to prevent the spread of this disease.
A cow in agony in Bisha, Rusaka commune
A pregnant cow lies down in her stable. It is very weak. It cannot graze and struggles to get up. Its legs are swollen and the joints blocked.
It has nodules on the neck and its genitals. The cow evacuates blackish and smelly dung, mixed with a whitish mucous substance and has diarrhea.
Josephine Nijimbere, owner of this cow, says her animal suffers from an unusual disease. “This is the first time that this disease occurs in this locality. We did not know it.
Pregnant females and big cows are the most vulnerable, says Nijimbere. She is desperate and helpless. I do not know what to do. My cow will die, “she says with tears in her eyes.
The first cases appeared in the Makamba area in early October, according to Fidèle Nzobonankira, a cattle breeder from Mutsinda area.
He says the symptoms are the swelling of legs, loss of appetite, and appearance of blister on the chest. Cows contracted by this mysterious disease have trouble moving and sleeping. “The joints tend to freeze. Once lying down, they do not get up again, as if they expect an inevitable death, “says Nzobonankira. Six cows are already dead and more than ten are suffering from the disease.
Breeders ask for a vaccine
Nzobonankira says the disease is very contagious. It spreads quickly in various barns. “Every morning, every farmer checks if their cows are not infected. We are worried,” complains Nzobonankira adding that infected cows receive antibiotic treatment. But these drugs are not effective. “Few cows recover.”
Elie Ntahompagaze, chief of Bisha area says the breeders are in distress since the appearance of this contagious disease. “It’s obvious that the disease is spreading fast. Herds of cows are threatened.”
According to him, this disease kills instantly. “The farmers will suffer significant losses. My neighbor lost two pregnant Friesian cows. Each one had a value of more than BIF 1,500,000, “says the chief of Bisha area.
The farmers asked the communal veterinarians to look for a vaccine to contain the spread of this disease but have not had an answer so far.
“This disease is likely to decimate herds of cows. For over a month, cows have been sick regularly and eventually died. We asked veterinarians to find a vaccine to prevent the spread of the disease. Unfortunately,the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock says nothing about it, deplores Fidèle Nzobonankira, a breeder. He explains that the veterinarians have asked them to wait for the authorities’ decision.
No appropriate medication
Gilbert Nimpagaritse, veterinarian of Rusaka commune, says that this disease is similar to “nodular bovine dermatosis”. It has been raging in the Rusaka commune since April.
He admits that it is a contagious disease that requires a vaccine to prevent its spread. “It’s a viral disease that does not have a proper medicine. But the cow can heal if it is treated in time, “he says.
According to Mr. Nimpagaritse, since the outbreak of this disease, 42 cases have already been recorded. “Eight cows are dead, 24 cows treated in time recovered while more than 10 remain ill”.
Since vaccine against this nodular bovine dermatosis is not yet available, this veterinarian asks breeders to separate the infected cows from the others, to alert qualified people as soon as they notice symptoms of this disease to give them treatment the earliest possible.
Jean-Berchmans Ngiyimbere, the provincial director of Livestock in Mwaro says the vaccine is not yet available and adds that this disease is also rife in other communes of Mwaro province. “We have submitted this question to the Livestock Directorate in the Ministry, we are waiting for the vaccine to be imported,” he says.
IWACU Open Data
