THE coming of the rains this 2020-2021 season, despite the renewed damper of the COVID-19 threat, has brought relief and joy to most; especially to farmers throughout Zimbabwe.  

However, this euphoria can be short-lived for livestock farmers, in particular, who may continue lose their stock due to disease outbreaks at this time, in particular theilerioses, which has now come to be known as ‘January disease’ in Zimbabwe.

Rainy seasons are synonymous with tick-borne and soil-borne diseases, as such, I have attended to several domestic pets, over the festive break, that had also succumbed to tick-borne diseases due to the rains.  

The current hot, wet season, which presents the ideal environmental conditions for the breeding of ticks, is the peak period for tick-borne diseases.

Tick-borne diseases are caused by deadly blood-sucking ticks that spread from one animal to another.  

Apart from physical damage, ticks transmit a variety of other debilitating and fatal diseases, including, primarily, theilerioses, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, heartwater, red water, and gall sickness, which account for 20 to 30 percent of cattle deaths recorded annually.

Sadly, in the 2018-2019 cropping season, cattle farmers lost over 50 000 cattle to tick-borne diseases as a result of the recent changing weather patterns.  

Their losses continued to mount during the 2019-2020 season, as most rural cattle farmers were unable to control the disease outbreaks owing to either the unavailability of, or exorbitant cost of veterinary medication available on the local market.

Many smallholder rural farmers and indigenous new cattle producers have been hit badly; some lost their entire herds and with it, they lost any hope of recouperation.  

No district was spared along the length and breadth of Zimbabwe; from Mashonaland Central, East and West, Manicaland, Midlands, Masvingo as well as Matabeleland North and South.

The worst affected districts included Bindura, Domboshava, Centenary/Glendale, Buhera, Chegutu, Chikomba, Chivhu, Bindura, Hwedza, Goromonzi, Gutu, Marondera, Shamva, Mhondoro and Masvingo.

According to the  Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), soil-borne diseases, caused by disease agents found in the soil, are also a major cause of livestock diseases during this time of the year that farmers should guard against.

Animals become particularly prone to these diseases, particularly if there is a shortage of pasture in grazing areas.  

As the animals feed on very short grass, it forces them to ingest soil and, in the process, disease-causing agents that are found within the soil.  

Soil-borne diseases can also come from muddy water sources.  Major soil-borne diseases that occur in Zimbabwe are anthrax, black leg and botulism.  

Black leg is a soil-borne disease of livestock that causes huge mortalities in cattle. 

The disease-causing agent is very similar to the one that causes anthrax and animals usually die in a very short space of time after contracting the disease. 

Blackleg disease peaks at the end of the dry season, beginning of rain season. 

The most common clinical sign is swelling in the upper part of the front leg causing the animal to limp for one or two days before it dies.

Cattle farmers are advised to carry intensive plunge dipping – weekly dipping, usually starting at the beginning of November to interrupt the breeding cycle of the ticks and to prevent the build-up tick populations in the veld. they are also advised to stock adequate dip chemicals for the onset of the rain season to ensure they dip their animals weekly; plunge dipping is the best method for tick control.

Although the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), encourages farmers to take their livestock to all dipping sessions provided for by Government in the communal sector, dipping and extension services are lacking in most areas, especially rural areas.  

Albeit the fact that it is not prudent to move tick infested cattle from one area to another as this will aid the spread of tick-borne diseases – most cattle farmers find they must herd their cattle great distances to dip their animals and must now also provide their own water by carrying 4 x 25lt containers which is  quite inadequate

 and an onerous task for most!

In both the 2018-2019-2020 farming seasons, an unusually high incidence of tick-borne diseases was experienced mainly due to the interruptions in the supply of dipping chemicals for the national dipping programme by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is another major problem in Zimbabwe, particularly when cattle travel long distances in search of pasture; especially close to wildlife areas, thus increasing interaction with wild buffalo, which are the reservoir for FMD virus. 

Anthrax is one of the diseases that also affect livestock during this time of the year. However, there has recently been a decline of the disease. 

The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), attributed the recent decline in outbreaks to the adequate supply of anthrax vaccine for the national vaccination programme which allowed the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) to complete anthrax vaccination in all known ‘hot spot’ anthrax areas.

All provinces were reported to have adequate stocks of vaccines to respond to livestock emergencies.  

However, as the country approaches the anthrax peak period, farmers are advised to report any animal deaths to their nearest veterinary office for assistance. 

The public are also advised not to handle or consume meat from animals that die on their own as they may have contracted deadly diseases.

Anthrax, like blackleg disease, also peaks at the end of the dry season, beginning of rain season. 

This is one of  the major killer diseases of cattle in the dry season for which farmers are urged to make sure their animals are vaccinated by the end of June.

Sadly, though vaccines are available from commercial veterinary outlets throughout the country, like most veterinary medication, they are beyond affordability by most small holder cattle farmers.

Other cattle diseases associated with the rains are lumpy skin disease, a mosquito-borne disease that causes multiple small lumps all over the body of the animal. The peak period for the lumpy skin disease is the middle of the rainy season coinciding with the peak mosquito season.

Affected animals usually do not feed well and lose weight and become the source of infection for other animals in the herd and surrounding areas. 

The disease is easily preventable through vaccination.  

However, there is no Government sponsored vaccination programme for the disease and farmers are expected to buy their own vaccines from veterinary drug outlet and seek assistance from their local veterinary extension officers.

Farmers should vaccinate their herds for lumpy skin as soon before the onset of the rainy season.

Internal parasites are also a big challenge to animal health, especially in the rainy season as the environmental conditions are conducive for them to multiply.

Cattle should be de-wormed at least three times per year.   

Just before the onset of the rains, between October and November, in the middle of the rainy season, between January and February as well as at the end of the rainy season, between April and May.  

Animals may fail to realise their full potential in weight gain from the abundant grazing available at this time of the year if not properly de-wormed.

Dr Tony M. Monda is Zimbabwean Socio-Economic analyst and scholar.  He is currently conducting Veterinary Epidemiology, Agronomy and Food Security and Agro-economic research in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa.  He is a writer, lecturer and a specialist Post-Colonial Scholar, He holds a PhD and a DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) in Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. E-mail tonym.MONDA@gmail.com