Cattle diseases under control

NYAGATARE/GATSIBO – Cattle diseases that recently hit the districts of Nyagatare, Gatsibo and some parts of Kayonza have been controlled following a mass vaccination campaign by the Ministry of Agriculture. The Rwanda Animal Resources Development Authority (RARDA) representative in the Eastern Province, Dr. Augustin Zimulinda, told The New Times on Thursday that the vaccination exercise was largely a success. ‘We have vaccinated almost 95 percent of cattle in the affected districts,’ he said. The most reported cattle diseases were Contagious Bovine Pleural Pneumonia (CBPP) commonly known as Ruhaha, Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) and Tick borne Disease (TBD). Zimulinda added that although most infections have been checked, few cases of CBPP are still persistent. ‘We have successfully curbed cases of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) and Tick borne Disease (TBD) as there are no more infections registered,’ he said. He explained that as part of the measures to fight the diseases, the Ministry of Agriculture agreed with farmers to slaughter all cows that were infected. ‘We could even escort farmers to ensure that they reach the abattoirs.’ The disease spread in the province was attributed to illegal movement of cattle. Ends