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Cletus Mushanawani Mash Central Bureau
MASHONALAND Central’s Veterinary Services Department has partnered Enterprize, a private organisation, in the fight against January disease, which is threatening to reduce the provincial herd population. The project, which is being funded by World Vision, has been rolled out in Mt Darwin.

Provincial Veterinary Services Department provincial officer Dr Wilmot Chikurunhe said: “We are receiving assistance from Enterprize in a project funded by World Vision in the fight against January Disease, also known as Theileriosis.
“The assistance includes training of extension staff and facilitating production of flyers, funding staff mobility for awareness meetings with farmers where the flyers are distributed.

“To date over 1 700 flyers have been distributed in eight wards.”
He said work was ongoing to produce podcasts on January disease and other animal diseases for distribution through social media.

This effort is covering Wards 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 39 and 40.
Dr Chikurunhe said other districts affected by January disease include Muzarabani, Bindura, Shamva and Mazowe.
“While our department runs a communal dipping programme in the communal and A1 resettlement areas, this is not enough when faced with this challenge and farmers need to supplement by buying pour-on dips as well as hand-spraying.

“Treatment of sick cattle can be frustrating as the animal does not last long once it starts showing signs of the disease.
“These signs include weakness, swelling of lymph nodes (mambabvu) in the head and shoulder, whitening of eyes (with discharge), discharge from the nostrils, frothing, all of which quickly progress to death in a matter of days.

“Again areas affected by the disease are placed under quarantine to prevent spread of the infected tick to new areas.
“Selling or buying of sick animals is an offence in terms of the Animal Health Act (Chapter 19:01).

“The farmer and the buyer have a huge responsibility to protect the public from consuming meat from sick animals. On the issue of foot and mouth disease,” said Dr Chikurunhe, who added that control efforts were successful in Rushinga, Mt Darwin and Muzarabani.

“We have reduced FMD risk enough to achieve partial relaxation of quarantine conditions in the three districts.
“This will allow issuing of permits for cattle, sheep, goats and pigs to go for direct slaughter at registered abattoirs,” he said.
“Movement is for direct slaughter only and any movement of livestock for rearing outside the affected areas remains prohibited until further notice.

“The animals are sufficiently marked through branding before they move to enable officials to identify them should they end up on farms.

“The lifting of the ban is a relief to farmers who have been holding on to slaughter stock for a long time now.
“If the province is to take advantage of the devolution drive, effort needs to be directed at establishing slaughter facilities.
“At the moment the province has no choice, but to let cattle go for slaughter in Harare.”

Dr Chikurunhe said the situation remained dire in parts of Mazowe, Bindura and Shamva districts where veterinary teams are still on the ground.