By Francis Ndungu
Farmers in Nyeri County are losing up to ten dairy cows in a day to foot-and-mouth disease with the county’s veterinary officers reporting that after years of having sporadic cases of the disease since the last week of January, some family farms are being completely wiped out.
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is the second most impactful livestock disease in Kenya. Farmers affected by it are estimated to lose 10 per cent of their annual household income every year in decreased milk production (if a cow produced 20 liters, this goes down to 13 liters), weight loss in animals, culling of animals which get chronic mastitis, treatment costs, death (especially in young animals) and restrictions on livestock movement during outbreaks.
The county’s veterinary team is urging farmers, especially those in Kieni and Othaya constituencies where FMD has been rampant, to report the occurrence of the disease to the county’s extension officers in case they detect any signs of the disease.
“The disease is characterised by lesions on the mouth / tongue and feet of animals. After two to five days, the lesions become severe, making it difficult for the cow to feed, and it starts limping. When cattle go off feed, they become weak, and this leads to a drop in their milk production. Infected cattle often suffer from mastitis and reduce their milk by about 16.1%, with some cows completely unable to be milked again after outbreaks. Excessive salivation is also a symptom of cattle infected with foot and mouth disease. Death may occur if the symptoms are severe and where cattle are not taken care of, leading to heavy losses for farmers,” explained Alex Maina, a veterinarian in the county.
Animals and animal products such as milk, meat, hides and skin and also are not permitted to be transported from one area to another in the two constituencies to avoid the spread of the disease.
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Cattle infected with foot and mouth disease should be isolated and quarantined to reduce the chances of spreading the disease. FMD can be spread from one cow to another once they get in contact with infected animals or surfaces with the virus.
“We’re vaccinating against the disease across the whole county and advise everyone to vaccinate their cattle to help in curbing the disease. We are also creating awareness among farmers to avoid them moving their cattle or having them congested in grazing fields, which may cause the spread of this disease from one animal to another,” Marina warned.
He added that cattle should also not be taken to cattle dips to control the parasite since this can also aid in spreading of the disease when cows share the dip wash. Cattle walking on the same drying yard can also get infected through hooves so farmers are advised to use alternative means of eradicating and controlling external parasites at home.
Magadi salt can be used to disinfect lesions. It is applied in between the hooves of the animals and also put in the mouth of the cattle to dry and kill viruses of the disease, reducing its severity.
Cattle should also be grazed in a confined field to prevent them from mixing with livestock from outside which may be having the disease. During feeding and watering each cattle should use its own trough and feeder to avoid possibilities of spreading the disease from one animal to another.
The vet explained that because the disease is found in all excretion, secretion and droplets from the breath of infected animals, they can easily pass the it to other animals.
Dead caucuses should be buried five to six feet deep to avoid the spread of the disease. Surfaces that sick animals might have touched should be sanitised and disinfected to kill all FMD viruses.
“Farmers are not reporting the occurrence of the disease in their farms immediately after detecting its first signs and symptoms, causing the disease to spread faster. The faster farmers report FMD, the less costly it is to treat it.
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We’re also having challenges with farmers refusing to vaccinate their cattle, claiming that our vaccines will have side effects on their cattle. All this is making it difficult to cut the disease’s knees and stop it spreading,” the vet said.
Foot and mouth disease not only diminishes the immediate productivity of livestock but also impairs their long-term health and fertility as FMD delays the age of first calving and extends the time before birth.