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  • Undiagnosed cattle deaths in Zimbabwe



    Archive Number 20091020.3614
    Published Date 20-OCT-2009
    Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed deaths, bovine - Zimbabwe: (MN South), RFI

    UNDIAGNOSED DEATHS, BOVINE - ZIMBABWE: (MATABELELAND SOUTH), REQUEST
    FOR INFORMATION
    ************************************************** **********************************
    A ProMED-mail post
    <http://www.promedmail.org>
    ProMED-mail is a program of the
    International Society for Infectious Diseases
    <http://www.isid.org>

    Date: 18 Oct 2009
    Source: Sunday News [edited]
    <http://www.sundaynews.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=4638&cat=1>


    Mysterious disease claims livestock
    -----------------------------------
    More than 100 cattle have reportedly died in the Linda-Mandali
    village of Mangwe District from what the villagers believe is a
    mysterious disease. The deaths are reported to have caused a serious
    strain on the farming season preparations in the area.

    According to villagers from the area, the only noticeable symptom was
    that the cows suddenly became weak and then within a space of a few
    hours they collapsed and died. They said the disease seemed to be
    contagious, as most families who had lost livestock had lost more
    than one. One family from the area reportedly lost 15 cows in one week.

    Speaking to Sunday News last week, councillor for Ward 3 in the
    district, Mr Benedict Ndlovu, said the situation was getting out of
    control and the villagers had nowhere to turn to as their efforts to
    report to the department of veterinary services in the area were in vain.

    "Most of the villagers here have lost so many cattle that this is
    going to set them back when farming starts. We need help otherwise
    the disease will wipe out the entire village. We are a farming
    community and cattle are our most prized possessions," he said.

    Villagers in the area maintained that the illness was strange as they
    had never seen or heard of anything like it. They said in a day a
    family could lose up to 3 cows. Of concern, however, is that some
    villagers are said to be eating the carcases of the dead cows,
    raising fears of health risks.

    "All these cows are dying and there is all this meat lying around, do
    you expect us to just let it rot like that? No, we are eating it, and
    anyway no one has died yet from eating it
    ," said a man who identified
    himself as Mr Ncube.

    When contacted for comment, the Plumtree veterinary services
    department staff was not at liberty to comment as the
    doctor-in-charge of the Plumtree office was said to be away. However,
    an animal disease specialist who spoke to Sunday News speculated that
    the deaths might be a result of hunger, as a lot of grazing land had
    been destroyed by veld fires in the Matabeleland South region.

    "Veld fires are destroying a lot of grazing land and as a result most
    livestock starve and end up dying in large numbers. If you look
    closely at the trend you will notice that cows are usually the 1st
    victims and die quickly because they would most probably be nursing
    or pregnant. The lack of food means they lack nourishment and get
    weak quicker than the bulls," said the specialist.

    The Matabeleland Provincial Veterinary Services Department in Gwanda
    professed ignorance at what was happening in Plumtree, as they had
    not received reports of such cases. A veterinarian from the
    provincial office, who preferred anonymity, said rural farmers had a
    tendency of not reporting such cases until the last minute and
    promised that the department would conduct investigations on the
    matter. The doctor said a lot of cattle in the region were in very
    poor condition because of hunger and attributed the hunger to veld fires.

    "Veld fires are causing a lot of damage in the province and people
    should try by all means to prevent them. The problem is that most
    rural farmers only start panicking when it affects them directly,
    they don't take any action when they see it happening to other
    people," said the specialist.

    --
    Communicated by:
    ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland

    [The above article lacks details pertaining to clinical signs,
    pathological changes and epidemiological data. The comments on
    possible malnutritional background are reasonable but deserve to be
    substantiated; in any event, consumption of dead animals (cadavers)
    is not a commendable practice, to say the least. The mass mortality
    could be the result of infectious and/or non-infectious etiology,
    including agents (such as anthrax) or substances which might threaten
    consumers' health.


    Any results of a professional investigation, afield or/and
    lab-backed, will be welcomed.

    For the province Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe, see
    <http://healthmap.org/r/00WL>. - Mod.AS]

    [see also:
    Anthrax, bovine - Zimbabwe: (MV) 20090423.1534
    2008
    ----
    Anthrax, bovine, human - Zimbabwe (02): (MN) 20081201.3774
    Anthrax, bovine, human - Zimbabwe (MN) 20081128.3751
    Anthrax, human, bovine - Zimbabwe (Mashonaland West) 20080926.3045
    Anthrax, bovine - Zimbabwe: (Matabeleland N) 20080527.1724
    2007
    ----
    Lumpy skin disease, bovine - Zimbabwe, Zambia 20070604.1811
    Anthrax, human, bovine - Zimbabwe (Mashonaland East) 20070206.0473
    Lumpy skin disease, bovine - Zimbabwe 20070111.0125
    2006
    ----
    Anthrax, human, bovine - Zimbabwe (Mashonaland East) 20061220.3572
    Anthrax, bovine - Zimbabwe (Mashonaland East) 20061207.3454
    Anthrax, human, bovine - Zimbabwe (Mashonaland West) 20061018.2995
    Anthrax, bovine - Zimbabwe (Matabeleland) 20060430.1256
    2005
    ----
    Anthrax, human, bovine - Zimbabwe (Masvingo) 20050119.0184]
    ....................arn/ejp/mpp
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