– LET US HELP THE LIVESTOCK

The outbreak of this disease is indeed taking us backwards rigFhatrmanerds aslhsoutlhdenvoettebreindaoryrmdeapnatrtmtheenyt ams nboew is nothing much they could stFrWainintahsllwyoa,ftewrfohaovetanilaanbidtle walhteicrnheavtievre roofucnredastiinng the Chibombo and Chisamba thTe s”ttaermt, dsiudchthiass into itegloyinhgavteo

- An salivating.

- Smacking of lips.

- If it is a milking cow the milk yield would go down.

- An animal would show lameness or become lame.

- There may be cyanosis of the tongue

- Animals would also suffer from pneumonia due to secondary infection.

The disease is highly contagious and it spreads fast among the livestock. When it breaks out as it has done, the economy in these two areas is indeed affected, the areas do supply most of the beef products and dairy products to the Lusaka area where the big market is.

As for small livestock farmer draught animals would have a very big impact on land preparation as no pulling of any implement would be done by the oxen even scotch carts would be parked.

Therefore, the control of foot and mouth disease in these areas would not be complete without strict attention to hygiene.

The areas and indeed the farms should be restricted areas to all visitors and in so doing this would help to prevent the further spread of the disease hence protecting neighboring herds from attack and this should considerably reduce the economic loss caused by this disease.

Control over the spread of this disease is by means of quarantine and regulation of animal would be stock movement. It is once again important that animals are vaccinated or inoculated against the prevalent strain of virus.

The area as of now has been identified as an infected area or region in the two districts a program of vaccination should be made or drafted to save the animals periodically to improve the situation.

As already mentioned, economically, the livestock farmers are at a loss, until such a time when the right type of vaccine is purchased.

Our farmers should be alert all the time and the veterinary department must be notified as quickly as possible.

Once again the animals would develop painful blisters about the mouth and feet and those that affect the tongue, lips and gums may cause dribbling and difficulty in feeding or complete loss of appetite.

The extremely infections nature and its disastrous effect it has on the subsequent conditions of the animal, breeding history and milk yield in some stock especially dairy stock affects the farmer and the nation at large. The recovered animals from an attack of this disease may remain immune to the same strain or type for a period. Therefore, it is important to verify the type from different laboratories outside the country in order to have the correct vaccine. Our situation is precarious.

Foot and mouth disease is not a killer, but causes loss of production especially serious in dairy cattle that may become lame, thin and loose a whole lactation. It is highly infectious and easily spread virus disease.

Therefore, as already mentioned let every farmer keeping livestock help the veterinary staff to stamp out the disease whenever and whenever it occurs in Zambia and immediately reporting

this will save thousands of Kwacha.

The nation has work to do. The agricultural revolution should not be derailed, it should be taken as first priority because people have to eat, it is equally a big source of employment for the youths in this nation. Foot and Mouth Disease is a notifiable disease just like Anthrax, Rabies, Rinderpest, African Swine Fever, Newcastle Disease, Contagious Bovine Pleura – pneumonia, Tuberculosis to mention but a

few. Whenever they appear reporting should be very quick as they cause great economic losses to the nation. Once again let us help the farmer.