Nairobi

Livestockexperts meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, said more has to be done to prevent outbreaks of one of the worst livestock diseases two years after the world was declared rinderpest free. The three-day event dubbed ‘The Somali Animal Health Seminar and Rinderpest Eradication Commemoration’ brought together livestock sector stakeholders to map the way forward in animal health management, specifically in Somalia.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation officially announced rinderpest as eradicated in June 2011 declaring the world free of the disease after decades of devastating outbreaks. This followed rigorous and sustained efforts to stamp out the deadly disease by FAO in conjunction with key institutions across the world. The rinderpest-causing virus, paramyxoviridae, is transmitted through direct contact, contaminated water or pasture and with some strains, through the air. It affects animals such as cattle and sheep, with infection leading to death within six to twelve days, wiping out entire stock in extreme cases.

“Though we are confident of the fact that the world is indeed free of the disease, precautionary measures need to be taken such as sequestration of the virus in secure laboratories and education of future generations of veterinary experts on the deadly malady that is rinderpest,” said Dr. Paul Rositter, FAO’s animal disease expert.

The Somali Perspective

In Somalia, the livestock sector employs over 65% of the population though ironically, the Horn of Africa state was one of the last in the world to be cleared of the rinderpest virus. Due to a twenty year-old civil war, inter-clan conflict and collapse of the government, veterinary services were for a long time, provided by private livestock professional associations in south central Somalia. However, with the new government in place, Somalia is set to be on the road to recovery and once again, the Somali Department of Veterinary Services could once again begin to play a bigger role than its current monitoring function.

“Through this event we can learn from our partners’ past experiences and use those lessons to improve the Somali livestock sector. We also hope to work together with FAO, AU-IBAR and other organisations to overcome challenges in this sector,” said Mr. Mohamud Mohamed, the Director-General of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The seminar also provided a forum for sector players to assess lessons learnt from the rinderpest eradication programme and apply them towards the progressive control of other diseases such as Pestes des Petits Ruminants (PPR) which affects goats and sheep in the country. “Bringing all the stakeholders in Somalia- professionals and representatives of government- together for this event was not an easy task but it was important for them to come and meet with international organisations as well as neighbouring-countries to talk about their challenges, lessons learnt and find a way to work with the international community to tackle issues within the Somali livestock sector,” said Dr. Cyprien Biaou, the head of the Livestock sector in FAO’s Somalia country office.

Applying lessons learnt

Experts also raised concerns on the constant dilemma faced by developing countries: support for animal health projects versus general development projects. Addressing participants, Biaou said: “Though livestock disease management activities do not often offer immediate and visible benefits, they often render the small-scale herders, most of whom suffer the most during disease outbreaks, more resilient to shocks.”

“In order to check these diseases across borders, we need to get all veterinary and animal health departments in the region to work more closely together,” said Dr. Kimutai Maritim of the Kenya Department of Veterinary Services.