The mitigation measures to curb the spread of the disease.In Zimbabwe, January disease — also known as theileriosis — has been a problem resulting in thousands of cattle succumbing to the disease in recent years. It is common between December and March and is spread through the bite of the brown ear tick.More than 65 percent of cattle deaths in Zimbabwe are caused by tick-borne diseases, with 500 000 cattle valued at about US$150 million E Matopos Research Institute recently rolled out January disease vaccination trials as part having died of January disease from 2018 to 2022, according to reports.
The Government has declared war against the January disease and the country is also manufacturing dip chemicals and vaccines locally.
As the Second Republic continues to heighten efforts to fight the disease, the Government is working on increasing the production of the BOLVAC Vaccine for the disease to 900 000 doses from next year up from 300 000 doses produced this year.
The vaccine which is undergoing field trials is currently being administered in hotspots as it is not yet at full scale.In an interview, Matopos Research Institute head Mr Tendai Matekenya said they vaccinated 25 animals with monitoring done fortnightly.
“January disease vaccination trial was conducted at the Institute Lucydale Farm on October 18. A total of 25 animals were vaccinated with 12 Tuli and 13 Afrikander breeds. The monitoring was done fortnightly and fever was noted in all the vaccinated animals on day 14. However, on day 28 the temperatures had reverted to normal,” he said.
“Fever was a sign that the animals were responding quite well to the vaccine and on day 45, blood samples were taken to test the levels of anti-bodies and the efficacy of the vaccine. The results have not been received yet.”
At the Effective Livestock Disease Management Conference hosted by Zimbabwe Newspapers (Zimpapers)’s Sunday News in Bulawayo last month, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri said the vaccine successfully underwent clinical trials and was now undergoing field trials.
“The BOLVAC is now available and currently being administered in hotspots as it is not yet at full scale, while we also need consent dipping from the farmers that are involved. Otherwise, we do have a very effective vaccine which we will soon roll out once we finish the final stage of clinical trials possibly for free,” he said.
The theileriosis Vaccine, BOLVAC was first produced by Zimbabwe’s Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) in 1989 using Zimbabwe’s own Theileria parva vaccine strain. Production of the vaccine was gradually discontinued in the late 1990s mainly due to high technical staff turnover and inadequate financing.
After receiving financial support from the Government and development partners that include Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) resumed the production of the vaccine last year.
Livestock production is an integral part of the lives of the majority of the Zimbabwean population. The livestock sector is an important source of livelihoods and contributes significantly to the growth of the agriculture sector and the economy as well as food and nutrition security.
The Government has stepped up efforts to increase the national herd from the current 5,6 million to 6 million by 2025.
