For
many,
the
impacts
have
been
really
severe,
with
whole
herds
wiped
out
reducing
the
ability
to
plough,
supply
manure
and
get
milk
for
the
family.
In
our
discussions
of
‘success’
rank
transitions,
many
pointed
to
January
Disease
as
the
most
significant
negative
shock
of
the
past
years,
setting
people
back
from
earlier
upward
livelihood
trajectories.
The
disease
is
caused
by
the
blood
parasite
called Theileria
parva
bovis,
which
is
conventionally
transmitted
by
the
brown
ear
tick
(Rhipicephalus
appendiculatus),
although see
our
previous
blog for
a
discussion
of
the
many
uncertainties
involved.
A
combination
of
factors
led
to
the
outbreak
of
January
Disease
in
the
country,
including
the
incessant
rains
of
2016-17,
only
sporadic
dipping,
uncontrolled
cattle
movements
and
the
spread
of
ticks.
Since
then,
cattle
herders
have
had
to
respond,
often
without
the
support
of
formal
veterinary
services.
Cattle
owners
use
a
wide
range
of
strategies
to
treat
or
prevent
the
disease.
They
use
a
mix
of
traditional
plant
remedies
and
biomedicines.
Oxytetracycline
such
as
Terramycin,
Limoxin,
Copamycin,
Utratet
and
many
others
features
prominently
as
antibiotics
used
to
treat
the
disease.
These
antibiotics
are
sourced
within
and
outside
Zimbabwe,
including
from
Zambia
and
South
Africa.
Local
experiments,
adapted
treatments
Nearly
9
years
on
from
the
2016-17
outbreak,
there
are
now
some
established
local
specialists
who
treat
sick
animals
for
a
fee.
For
example,
in
Siboza
area
in
Zvishavane,
one
cattle
owner
said
that
when
her
animals
fall
sick,
she
consults
a
retired
wildlife
veterinarian
who
often
comes
with
his
own
biomedicines
to
treat
the
sick
animals.
He
charges
US$20
per
sick
animal.
Others
have
learnt
through
their
own
experiments
how
to
treat
the
disease.
For
example,
LC
is
one
of
the
most
careful
and
assiduous
cattle
farmers
in
Mvurwi
who
owns
over
60
cattle.
He
told
us
that
he
never
lost
a
single
animal
to
January
Disease
since
its
outbreak
in
his
area.
When
January
Disease
broke
out,
he
spent
some
time
moving
around
with
state
veterinarians
who
were
treating
sick
animals.
However,
despite
treating
the
sick
animals
with
biomedicines,
he
said
the
treated
cattle
continued
to
die.
Upon
conducting
post-mortems
of
the
dead
animals,
he
realised
that
the
reticulum
(susu)
was
‘always
hard
and
dry’.
Thus,
he
came
to
the
conclusion
that
cattle
were
dying
because
of
constipation.
Realizing
this,
he
doses
sick
animals
with
cooking
oil
in
quantities
of
350ml
per
young
animal
and
750ml
for
adult
animals.
The
cooking
oil
works
like
a
laxative.
In
addition,
he
also
injects
the
sick
animal
with
intramuscular
injections
of
Butachem
and
any
other
short/long
acting
oxytetracycline
such
as
Terramycin,
Penicillin
and
Limoxin.
He
injects
an
affected
animal
with
10ml
dosages
of
Butachem,
Terramycin
and
Penicillin
for
three
consecutive
days.
LC
admits
that
this
treatment
regime
was
not
found
in
‘veterinary
books’,
but
was
based
on
his
own
experimentation.
Overall,
LC
has
been
able
to
develop
an
effective
remedy
to
deal
with
the
disease.
For
constipation
problems
associated
with
January
disease,
some
use
unused
motor
oil
with
salt
to
treat
an
affected
animal.
For
example,
EC,
who
owns
eight
cattle
in
Mvurwi
doses
with
half
of
330ml
bottle
of
unused
motor
with
a
teaspoon
of
salt
to
an
affected
animal.
This,
he
said,
‘loosens’
the
stomach
of
the
animal.
Again,
as
in
the
case
of
LC,
EC
he
has
successfully
managed
to
save
his
sick
animals.
Similarly,
one
A2
farmer
in
Gutu
told
us
that
he
“only
lost
animals
through
January
disease
in
the
early
years
when
he
didn’t
know
how
to
manage
it,
but
now
knows
how
to
control
it”.
Many
make
use
of
traditional
medicines
in
the
absence
of
effective
biomedicines.
A
variety
of
plants
are
used
to
treat
January
Disease.
Such
plants
are
mixed
to
make
‘maguchu’
(a
strong
drench),
which
will
then
be
fed
to
the
sick
animal
through
the
mouth
in
doses
of
300ml
or
so,
depending
with
size
of
the
animal.
However,
those
who
were
using
these
traditional
medicines
were
reluctant
to
share
with
us
these
remedies.
In
other
places,
pastors
of
local
churches
are
giving
their
followers
‘minato’ (holy
remedies,
which
might
be
water
or
mealie
meal)
to
prevent
the
disease
from
striking
their
kraals.
This
is
often
sprayed
or
sprinkled
on
animals.
They
believed
that
the
disease
was
the
work
of
the
devil,
and
could
be
prevented
through
divine
intervention.
As
one
local
pastor
commented,
“My
son,
inoculating
your
animals
with
biomedicines
is
fine,
but
we
must
put
our
trust
in
God.”
Distrust
in
modern
biomedicines
Many
cattle
owners
have
tried
to
treat
the
disease
using
modern
medicines,
with
very
limited
success.
As
a
result,
there
is
a
growing
dismissal
or
even
distrust
of
these
modern
biomedicines.
As
one
farmer
declared:
“Injecting
animals
with
these
modern
medicines
is
a
worst
of
time
and
money”.
Others
believe
that
the
locally
available
modern
medicines
and
acaricides
are
no
longer
so
effective,
and
cattle
continue
to
die
after
receiving
treatment.
As
a
result,
some
cattle
owners
prefer
biomedicines
to
treat
the
disease
and
acaricides
to
control
ticks
from
South
Africa
and
Zambia.
For
those
who
have
successfully
managed
to
treat
the
disease
with
veterinary
biomedicines,
two
things
have
been
central
to
their
success.
First,
treatment
has
to
be
delivered
swiftly,
and
in
correct
dosages
to
ensure
survival
of
the
animals.
This
means
that
herders
have
to
be
particularly
alert
to
infections,
and
should
pose
a
sound
knowledge
of
the
symptoms
of
the
disease.
Such
symptoms
include
lack
of
appetite,
swollen
lymph
nodes
and
difficulties
in
breathing.
In
other
words,
the
disease
has
to
be
caught
early
to
ensure
high
chances
of
survival.
Second,
they
emphasised
that
sick
animals
must
be
kept
away
from
drinking
water
for
a
full
day
after
receiving
the
injections
to
ensure
that
treatment
does
not
get
‘diluted’.
Others
inoculate
their
unaffected
animals
periodically
using
Butachem
and
other
Oxytetracycline
drugs
such
as
Terramycin.
When
an
animal
falls
sick,
many
prefer
to
sell
it
to
local
butcheries
and
salvage
some
money
instead
of
trying
to
treat
the
animal.
Sick
animals
are
bought
for
a
pittance.
In
our
Gutu
and
Masvingo
sites,
at
the
height
of
the
outbreak,
a
sick
animal
was
sold
for
between
US$30
and
US$50.
Indeed,
a
few
local
entrepreneurial
people
made
their
fortunes
through
this
business.
In
some
cases,
‘local
specialists’
with
knowledge
on
how
to
treat
affected
animals
have
been
buying
sick
animals
on
the
cheap
and
successfully
treat
them.
In
Msipane
area,
one
local
specialist
has
successfully
managed
to
build
a
sizeable
herd
of
30
cattle
through
buying
sick
animals,
and
reviving
them.
He
transports
the
sick
animals
in
his
scotch-cart
to
his
homestead
for
treatment.
New
approaches
to
animal
health
care
are
urgently
needed
In
conclusion,
there
is
no
magic
solution
to
January
disease
in
cattle.
The
best
results
are
achieved
through
early
diagnosis,
effective
dipping
and
close
monitoring
of
the
herd.
Herd
owners
deploy
a
wide
range
of
remedies
to
treat
the
disease,
which
may
include
a
combination
of
biomedicines
and
herbal
concoctions.
In
the
absence
of
effective
and
widespread
veterinary
care
and
questions
raised
about
the
efficacy
of
medicines
bought
in
local
shops,
local
experimentation
and
improvision
is
important.
Reliance
on
‘local
experts’
is
crucial,
some
of
whom
now
sell
their
expertise,
while
others
share
their
learning
with
their
community.
As
environments
change
–
through
shifts
in
land
use,
climate
change
and
so
on
–
so
do
disease
ecologies,
this
means
constant
adaptation
to
changing
disease
threats
is
needed.
Knowledge
about
diseases
that
have
such
devastating
impact
is
essential,
but
reliance
on
formal
expert
knowledge
from
veterinary
departments
is
inadequate.
Working
with
local
experts
and
galvanising
responses
to
such
disasters
from
below
is
critical
but
is
currently
only
emerging
sporadically
and
without
coordination.
A
more
integrated
approach
to
participatory
disease
surveillance
and
response
is
urgently
needed
in
Zimbabwe
as
the
economic
cost
of
losses
of
livestock
as
has
occurred
through
January
Disease
is
massive.
As
argued
before,
this
requires
taking
local
knowledge
and
experience
seriously,
understanding
changing
tick
ecologies,
shifts
in
disease
incidence
and
the
efficacy
of
different
treatment
approaches.
This
will
require
research
together
with
farmers
across
the
country.
The
hundreds
of
millions
of
dollars
lost
through
disease
deaths
surely
provides
a
justification
for
such
an
investment
urgently.
This
post
was
written
by
Tapiwa
Chatikobo
(PLAAS,
UWC)
and
first
appeared
on Zimbabweland
Post
published
in:
Agriculture