Epidemic and infectious diseases affect animals. The major diseases reported in Ethiopia at the border areas are Trans-boundary Diseases (TADs) like Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), Sheep and goat pox, Camel Pox, Pestesdes Petits Ruminants (PPR), and African Horse Sickness, as well as production diseases like Anthrax, Blackleg, Haemorrhagic Septicaemia, and Pastorolosis etc. These diseases cause serious socio-economic on the people. Hence, animals should be vaccinated as humans to be kept their health.
The goal has been already designed to eliminate PPR at the global level by 2030 and Ethiopia is doing various activities to achieve the goal at the national level.
Consequently, the harmonized campaign has been officially launched
at Ethio-Kenyan border (Borena zone of Moyale Woreda of Ethiopia and Marsabit
county of Kenya) on the synchronization of TADs surveillance and vaccination,
mainly aiming to control PPR.
During our field visit, Kiya Sare, a pastoralist who lives in Moyale Woreda brought his cattle to be vaccinated to a station. He said that animal health workers have been supporting the local community in vaccinating animals timely. “The vaccination campaign is well underway and the awareness of the community on the issue is also improving.”
Health worker Hussein Muhammad reminds that as there has been interactions between communities in the border area, their cattle have been affected by diseases in other areas for instance in border areas of Kenya. That is why they are here willing to vaccinate their animals. Further, communities have to work with health workers to prevent trans-boundary diseases.
As to Hussien, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has supplied vaccination materials to conduct the campaign in pastoral areas.
According to Alemayehu Mekonen, chief veterinary officer and permanent delegate of Ethiopia to World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the main purpose of launching animal vaccination campaign is to jointly work with Kenya to control animal trans-boundary diseases.
Due to the livelihood of the communities in the border areas, animals move from Ethiopia to Kenya and vice versa. This opens door for the transmission of diseases particularly PPR. Hence, such a harmonized vaccination program is important to control the disease as it is impossible to control diseases separately.
Since animals may not be cured after catching virus, the best possible option is to control the disease beforehand, Alemayehu said adding, Ethiopia is producing and even exporting to other countries more than 20 types of vaccinations.
For supporting pastoralist, Regional Pastoral Livelihoods Resilience Project (RPLRP) seeks to develop regional solutions to challenges faced by pastoralists in Kenya, Uganda Ethiopia. It is also set to enhance opportunities for livelihood development for pastoralists.
As to Wondmagegn Shibru, representative of RPLRP-Ethiopia, the objective of this project is to enhance livelihoods resilience of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in cross-border areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda as well as improve the capacity of these countries’ governments to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency.
Wondmagegn reminds that RPLRP was designed primarily to engage in four major components: Natural Resources Management, Market Access, and Trade, Livelihood Support, Pastoral Risk Management.
Charles Kisa (PhD), coordinator of RPLRP-Kenya said that the migration of livestock is coming to Kenya and cross back to Ethiopia. “So we want to exercise controlling animal diseases in such a harmonized way along the international border between Ethiopia and Kenya. As a result, the three countries (Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda) are working together to implement this vaccination program.”
Ochodo (PhD), chief veterinary officer of Kenya told this writer that this program is meant to control PPR, which mostly affects sheep and goats. “The two countries have also formulated their respective strategies to eradicate the disease from the area.”
Controlling the disease is simple as a single vaccination will perform the whole job, he added. Thus every in the area should bring his/her animal for vaccination.
Wamalwc Kiniyanjwi (PhD) is representative of IGAD and has been facilitating the vaccination campaign. As to him, the campaign brings the two countries together that they can cooperate in controlling the diseases. Unless the two countries work together across the border to control this disease at the same time, it difficult to achieve the goal, he said.
The role of IGAD is initiating collaboration between member countries like Kenya and Ethiopia. The two countries signed MOU in 2016 to jointly collaborate in controlling the disease. All the eight members of IGAD should also do the same, Kiniyanjwi said.
The Ethiopian Herald August 14, 2019
BY BAHIRU SETEGNE
