Breeders from Tangara commune in the northern province of Ngozi are worried about a contagious disease that attack small domestic ruminant and has been spreading in the province for a month.
They say the goats that contracted the disease experience severe diarrhea and die within a week. “I had eight goats. Five of them died of this disease,” says I. N a breeder from Tangara.” Four days after they have caught the disease, they die,” he adds.
Governor of Ngozi Province banned the business of goats
The spread of this disease has also affected butchers from Tangara commune. They say they have suffered huge losses since the Governor of Ngozi Province banned the business of goats and consumption of goat meat.
“The majority of our customers prefer goat meat. As it is now forbidden to slaughter goats following this disease, we suffer huge losses,” says Ildephonse Singirankayo, a butcher. He says he was used to selling meat for BIF 90,000 a day before the outbreak of the disease but now makes only BIF 20,000 a day since he switched to the selling of cow meat.
They urge authorized people to provide medicines to treat the already affected goats and a vaccine to prevent others from becoming infected.
In a statement released on May 26, Albert Nduwimana, the Governor of Ngozi province, banned the business of goats and the consumption of sheep and goat meat. He says this disease striking small ruminants has appeared since the beginning of May. More than 400 goats have already been killed since then. He calls on breeders to alert veterinarians any time they see a goat infected with the disease.
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