By Wezi Tjaronda
OPUWO
Communal farmers in some areas of the Kunene Region are losing scores of cattle to preventable diseases.
Diseases such as botulism or stiff sickness, phosphate deficiency, pulpy kidney and rabies are common in the region, yet they are preventable through vaccines or by giving animals the appropriate lick.
Botulism is the paralysis of the locomotive organs that animals pick up when they eat and chew bones of dead animals. The disease, which is common especially in the dry season and during drought, paralyses animals and kills within four days. Phosphate deficiency is caused by lack of enough phosphate in animal feeds, while rabies is a virus caused by a bite from a rabid animal.
Pulpy kidney also causes paralysis in small stock.
Farmers have reported many paralysis cases while rabies is on the increase, said Dr John Shoopala, Veterinary Surgeon at the Opuwo State Veterinary Office.
In September, Shoopala said, farmers reported eight cases of botulism, with 11 cattle dying. This month alone, 23 deaths were reported from the same disease. These are only reported cases, and Shoopala suspects that the actual number could be higher.
Farmers at four posts have reported rabies.
He said his office could only diagnose the animals and tell the farmers what to do.
The three diseases, except rabies, are not state controlled diseases and require farmers to vaccinate their livestock as a preventative measure.
Shoopala said botulism is controlled by vaccination with botulism vaccines such as botuvax and supax, while phosphate deficiency is easily preventable by giving animals phosphate lick, while rabies is also preventable through vaccination.
With rabies being a state controlled disease annual vaccinations are free.
Shoopala said some farmers do not take advice seriously and do not bring animals for vaccinations, and neither do they buy vaccines.
“They want the Government to do everything for them, but we have a limited budget only for trans-boundary diseases,” he said.
Even farmers that have over 1 000 head of cattle, according to Shoopala, say they cannot afford the vaccines. A 100 ml bottle of botulism vaccine costs slightly more than N$100.
Shoopala cited a vaccination campaign against lung sickness that only managed to reach 31 percent or around 71 000 cattle. The region has about 226 000 cattle according to the December 2006 census.
“Cooperation from the farmers is a problem,” he said.
However, Robert Kavetu of the Otjikaambuti Farmers Association said the prevailing drought situation has disrupted people’s lives, and most farmers are not in the areas where the vaccinations are being given.
Most farmers in the Epupa and Opuwo constituencies have moved their cattle for better grazing to some areas in the Omusati Region.
Kavetu said farmers are trying hard to vaccinate their animals because it is in their interest to have healthy animals.
Meanwhile, the anthrax situation, which killed 12 cattle and a dog in the Sesfontein area, is now under control.
“There are no more cases of anthrax. The disease is under control,” said the veterinary surgeon, adding that the last case was reported this month.
Veterinarian staff vaccinated around 400 cattle at the post where the disease was reported and treated sick animals with penicillin.
All healthy animals were given a dose of supax, which contains medicine for anthrax, black water and botulism.