DISEASES A STUMBLING BLOCK TO ECONOMIC STABILITY OF FARMERS
The key message taken from the September report on livestock disease trends, as informally reported by veterinarians belonging to the Ruminant Veterinary Association of South Africa (RuVASA).
Farmers are looking forward to a prosperous spring and summer season. However, with good rainfall comes an increase in insect and tick populations. Midges, mosquitoes, biting flies and ticks transmit diseases and farmers ought to have vaccinated their animals. Examples of these diseases are:
- Insect-borne diseases: blue tongue, Rift Valley fever (RVF), lumpy skin disease, ephemeral fever (three-day-stiff-sickness), nagana, anaplasmosis and African horse sickness.
- Tick-borne diseases: African and Asiatic redwater, anaplasmosis, heartwater and corridor disease.
It is important that farmers discuss vaccination and treatment programmes with their veterinarian. Early clinical signs of these diseases should be recognised so that treatment could be started as soon as possible. As there is no specific treatment for viral diseases, it is important that animals be vaccinated in time to prevent disease outbreaks.
The presence of bovine brucellosis, Brucella ovis (ram’s disease), trichomonosis, vibriosis and Johne’s disease in herds are of great concern. All animal owners, breeding societies and private and state veterinary services should work together to fight and eradicate diseases.
Diseases are a stumbling block to food security, food safety and economic stability of farmers.
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