Vusumuzi Dube
ONE thousand three hundred cattle dying in one district in just over a month due to a preventable disease is sad.
Zimbabweans value their livestock, especially cattle. They are an immense economic and social asset.
But the news that 1 294 cattle have died since last month in Bubi District, Matabeleland North Province, due to January Disease troubles us.
January Disease, also called theileriosis, is indeed dangerous, but its danger can be easily contained if cattle owners dip their livestock weekly. Undipped animals are susceptible to attacks by ticks. The pest multiplies very quickly, and the infected animals can die over a short period as well.
Symptoms include high fever, swollen lymph nodes, shallow breathing, loss of appetite, a watery eye or nasal discharge, physical weakness and weight loss.
The disease is at its worst in this time of the year when conditions are wet and warm, hence its common name, January Disease.
But with regular dipping, this is not a problematic infection at all, which is why we regret the infections in Bubi and the resultant cattle deaths, as we reported yesterday.
“We have recorded about 1 300 cattle deaths in Bubi District, mostly due to January Disease. January Disease is caused by brown ticks, and we can only destroy them by dipping continuously and religiously,” Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development Deputy Minister, Davis Marapira, told us.
“In this area, we have realised that some farmers do not bring their cattle to the diptank and it’s these farmers who then suffer a lot from January Disease caused by the brown ticks. As Government, we have brought in vaccinations and dipping chemicals, while we have already vaccinated 5 00 animals out of almost 80 000 animals here in the Bubi District. We have been targeting the most affected diptanks, and we have done the vaccination.”
The fact that Deputy Minister Marapira travelled to the affected area highlights the seriousness with which the Government treats the outbreak.
That’s the sort of seriousness that farmers in the red zone must attach to their animals. They are theirs, their wealth, their draught power, their status symbol and their everything.
Because of that, they must dip their animals as regularly as the Government mandates – once every five days, another swim after the next five days and another after every four; the cycle goes on and on like that. This prevents tick infestation, drastically reducing the risk of animals suffering from January Disease.
Yes, the area of worry at this stage is Bubi District, but our message on the importance of preventive measures must be heard by all cattle owners across the country.
If they preserve the health of their animals, the national herd will grow; their wealth, draught power and status preserved. The Government’s target to boost the agriculture industry to a $16bn giant by 2030 would be achieved comfortably.
Online Reporter