The Sunday Mail
Leroy Dzenga
Senior Reporter
In this part of the world, it is often said a man’s beauty is defined not by his smile, but by the size of his kraal.
Cattle signify wealth.
Not only do they provide milk, meat and hides, but the much-needed draught power for communities as well.
One can also earn cash from selling them.
This is why Tichaona Zinhumwe went through the darkest days of his life in 2019, when his 13 cattle in Chivhu were wiped out by theileriosis (or January disease), a lethal tick-borne disease caused by deadly parasites.
The 13 cattle were part of the 50 000 killed countrywide that year by the disease.
“We suffered a devastating loss. Imagine, we had 15 cattle, but we were left with just two. We were depending on dip-tanks to manage ticks, but at the time, they were not enough to prevent the spread of the disease,” he told The Sunday Mail.
“The outbreak was widespread; most people in our area lost cattle. You would find one household left with just one beast; another one without any. So, we ended up combining our remaining beasts for draught power.”
As the rainy season, which provides fertile conditions for the spread of the January disease, approaches, Mr Zinhumwe is naturally anxious. But farmers like him are likely to be comforted by the breakthrough that has been made by the Government and its partners to resume the production of a theileriosis vaccine — Bolvac — after a 23-year hiatus.
Deputy director in the Department of Veterinary Technical Services Dr Pious Makaya, who was part of the team of scientists that helped revive the production of the vaccine, said Bolvac was a key tool in fighting the disease.
“The theileriosis vaccine called Bolvac was first produced by Zimbabwe’s Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) in 1989 using Zimbabwe’s own theileria parva vaccine strain, isolated from Boleni Farm in Goromonzi District, hence the name Bolvac vaccine,” said Dr Makaya.
Economic challenges between 1998 and 2000 saw the country discontinuing the production of the vaccine. At the time, it became increasingly difficult to purchase and repair equipment, as well as retain technical staff. The Second Republic, however, prioritised resuscitating the production of the vaccine to both rebuild the national herd and further its import-substitution agenda.
“The Department of Veterinary Technical Services received adequate funding for training of technical staff, purchasing of research experimental animals, equipment and reagents. The commitment of veterinary researchers resulted in the resuscitation of the Bolvac vaccine production,” added Dr Makaya.
“These efforts were also complemented by support from development partners, who include Multi-Partner Trust Fund, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) and ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute). The support included facilitating scientific visits to institutions where similar vaccines are being produced in Kenya and purchasing of new equipment.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency supported the work. On August 20, the first batch of 20 460 vaccine doses was produced.
With the resumption of production, Zimbabwe can now produce vaccines for three out of four major tick-borne diseases — theileriosis (January disease), anaplasmosis (gallsickness) and babesiosis (redwater).
The Government plans to produce 100 000 doses of Bolvac by year-end.
According to Dr Makaya, as production capacity grows, Zimbabwe will be in a position to implement the Integrated Ticks and Tick-Borne Disease Control Strategy.
The strategy entails dipping, acaricide resistance monitoring and use of tick-borne vaccines.
January disease accounts for 65 percent of cattle deaths in the country.
The Government needs about US$8 million annually to deal with diseases affecting livestock around the country. They includetheileriosis, anthrax and foot-and-mouth.
There are 4 000 dip-tanks countrywide that require at least 12 000 tonnes of chemicals for a single dipping session to operate at optimal levels. Cattle are supposed to be dipped at least twice a month; thus, a minimum of 24 000 tonnes of chemicals are required per month.
Authorities hope that the latest intervention will comprehensively deal with cattle mortality.
“The vaccine protects vaccinated susceptible animals against January disease for the whole of its lifetime. A vaccinated animal will have lifelong immunity.
“Reduced cattle deaths as a result of vaccinating with the Bolvac vaccine will contribute to the objective of rebuilding the national herd to six million in the next five years,” said Dr Makaya.
Crucially, all raw materials used in the production of the vaccine are locally produced.
With additional working capital, Dr Makaya added, local demand will soon be met.
The first batch of vaccines is set to be deployed to hotspot areas under a pilot vaccination programme.
“The programme will be targeting the most affected districts, which will be determined in a few days to come, and will also be determined by the number of cattle to be vaccinated, before they are introduced to the affected districts under the restocking programme, under strict veterinary supervision.”
He said farmers who wish to take part in the vaccination campaign will be asked to sign consent forms.
“The Bolvac vaccine will then be available to the public at a cost-recovery price next year,” he said.
Aside from averting cattle deaths, experts believe the vaccine will help improve general health conditions of livestock. Before the vaccines were available, farmers had resorted to administering antibiotics to save their herds.
Sadly, the unrestrained administration of antibiotics increased chances of the cattle developing antimicrobial resistance, which happens when disease-causing pathogens find a way to withstand the effect of certain medicines, especially antibiotics, as a result of improper use.
The January disease vaccine is considered to be incredibly difficult to import because it is transported in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees Celsius). Therefore, the cost of maintaining it under cold chain across borders is prohibitive.
Malawi, Kenya and Australia, which are among the major producers of the vaccine, focus on their own markets.
Only Malawi distributes it to Zambia’s northern regions due to proximity.
Dr Zivanai Makoni, the senior medicines assessor at the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe, said: “January disease is caused by apicomplexan protozoa called theileria parva, and causes disease in cattle, which prompts the farmer to use injectable antibiotics such as oxytetracyclines to prevent huge losses in cattle.”
He said the theileria parva vaccine currently being produced was a live attenuated vaccine, thus providing long-lasting immunity to cattle once they are vaccinated.
“This, therefore, means that cattle that receive the live attenuated theileria parva vaccine will get protected from January disease and this will result in the reduced use of tetracycline injectables to control the disease.”
He, however, warned against complacency after vaccinating livestock.
“January disease is not the only tick-borne disease that cattle suffer from,” he added.
“Cattle will still be exposed to tick-borne diseases like anaplasmosis, babesiosis and ehrlichiosis, which might prompt farmers to use tetracycline preparation.
“The take-home message here is that farmers would need to use strategic control mechanisms that include regular dipping as prescribed by the Animal Health Cattle Cleansing Regulations and vaccination where possible,” said Dr Makoni.
Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers chairperson Mr Ernest Muzorewa hailed the new development, which he said will help enhance the livestock sub-sector by reducing the loss of foreign currency through importation of vaccines.
According to the recent National Crop Assessment Report, Zimbabwe’s national beef herd stands at 5 509 983, an increase from 5 478 648 in 2020. The cattle mortality rate fell from 11,1 percent in 2020 to 8,8 percent in 2021.
