Mozambique: Authorities to step up control of bovine theileriosis – Notícias

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Mozambique: Authorities to step up control of bovine theileriosis – Notícias

9:49 CAT | 10 Sep 2024

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Notícias]

Some districts in southern Mozambique are stepping up control measures for theileriosis, a tick-borne disease, suspected to be the cause of the deaths of more than 200 animals in the provinces of Maputo and Inhambane.

A multisectoral committee was recently set up, including researchers, technicians from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, cattle farmers and other stakeholders, who are working in the affected areas to assess which one, from among the possible parasitic diseases, has in fact been causing this increased number of cattle deaths.

According to the head of the Department of Disease Prevention and Control, Zacarias Massicame, preliminary data points to an intersection between theileriosis and ehrlichiosis, diseases that can significantly reduce cattle farming productivity.

READ: Mozambique: Multi-sectoral team joins the fight against theileriosis

Massicane said that theileriosis, which had been eradicated in the country more than seven years ago, has resurfaced due to a deficient tick control system, spreading to some areas in the provinces of Gaza and Maputo.

To contain its possible spread, the sector has implemented surveillance and inspection measures in the affected regions, and has also intensified inspections at the slaughterhouses, to assess their sanitary and hygiene conditions.

Massicane further recommended that cattle breeders increase bathing, focusing mainly on immersion or shower baths and, and alternatively, applying medication to the animal’s back, which is then spread over its body.

He also calls on farmers to collaborate in reporting cases of suspicious deaths, allowing the authorities to intervene to eradicate the disease.

Source: Notícias