Livestock Health
Nandi East Sub County veterinary officer Dr. Teresia Wangare has called on livestock farmers to ensure the treatment and vaccination of their animals is carried out by professionals as a way to safeguard human health.
Wangare cautioned that certain drugs used to treat animals remain as residue in animal products including milk, eggs and meat hence pose a threat to humans by contributing to poor response to drugs whenever humans seek treatment. She implored farmers to ensure they are only served by qualified veterinary officers who are in a position to select the best drugs that will have minimal side effects to human beings.
Dr Wangare instructed agrovet owners to ensure those operating their agrovets are trained veterinary officers who can prescribe animal drugs to ordinary farmers when seeking animal medication over the counter.
“Whenever the health of animals is at risk the health of people is also threatened. Let us always consult veterinary experts when dealing with animal health issues.Let the veterinary experts purchase the drugs that are best suited for animal treatment,” explained Dr. Wangare discouraging people from purchasing animal drugs from shops without a prescription from qualified veterinary officers.
The veterinary doctor called on farmers to ensure their animals are vaccinated whenever the government is carrying out the exercise noting that when animals such as dogs bite cattle or human beings, they easily transmit rabies to them.
“Signs of illness or any deviation from the normal in animals should be reported promptly and investigated to ensure proper and timely delivery of veterinary medical care,” pointed out the veterinary officer noting that some of the signs of rabies in animals include foaming at the mouth, fever, difficulty in swallowing, staggering, seizures, paralysis among others.
She also directed dog owners to practice responsible dog ownership by ensuring proper feeding, vaccination against rabies and restraining them, when necessary, as a way to tackle the issue of stray dogs, adding that previously they used to kill them but currently it is against animal rights.
The vet noted that most dog owners do not take dog health seriously adding that they should make it a habit to vaccinate dogs against rabies annually. She further added that rabies is a deadly and expensive disease when transmitted to humans with just a bite by an infected dog.
“Vaccinating dogs is the most cost-effective strategy for preventing rabies in other animals like cows and human beings. It is possible for an infected dog to bite several people in a very short time, a reason I urge people to take vaccination against rabies seriously,” she said.
The veterinary officer who was speaking to the media also advised residents to always consume meat that is from licensed slaughterhouses which is examined by the public health department to ensure it is fit for human consumption. This, she noted, will go a long way in safeguarding people against diseases that are transmitted to human beings among them anthrax.
Dr. Wangare divulged that Nandi East sub county has over 20,000 cows noting that with the help of chiefs, sub chiefs and village elders they have managed to reach and vaccinate 35 percent of the cows but added they are targeting to vaccinate 70 percent of the cows against anthrax.
“Recently cases of anthrax were reported in Emgwen sub-County in Nandi. We commenced vaccination in April and it’s ongoing. So far we have vaccinated 35 percent,” explained Wangare noting that despite the fact that they have been concentrating only on cows, cases of anthrax have also been identified in sheep and goats.