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Following the confirmation of an outbreak of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in Okapunja village, the Ministry of Agriculture has immediately banned the movement of cattle in and out of Opuwo area.
“The village is about 51 kilometres east of Opuwo. So far, the disease has been detected in a herd of 30 cattle, of which eight have tested positive and one has died,” explained Johannes Shoopala, the ministry’s acting chief veterinary officer.
He said bovine pleurisy mainly infects the lungs and pleura of cattle and buffaloes, causing fever and respiratory problems such as difficulty or shortness of breath, cough and runny nose. The disease is highly contagious and has a mortality rate of up to 50%, causing significant economic losses.
“The disease is spread through direct contact between infected and susceptible animals. Since some animals carry the disease but do not show symptoms, it is more difficult to control its spread. There is no cure for the disease and infected cattle remain a source of further infection for other cattle,” Shoopala explained.
Implementing measures
In order to protect the livestock industry, the Veterinary Department has implemented a number of emergency control measures, including a complete restriction on the entry and exit of live cattle in and out of Opuwo Municipality, except for cattle that must be slaughtered directly under veterinary supervision within 48 hours.
Shoopala urged all farmers who have unvaccinated cattle to get their livestock vaccinated against CBPP and appealed to the public and farmers to strictly adhere to the measures put in place.
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