TATENDA CHIKARA IN MASVINGO
At least 3 000 cattle have died of Theileriosis disease, which is also known as January disease, over the past seven months in Masvingo Province, Provincial Veterinary Officer Dr Ernest Dzimwasha has said, urging farmers to dip their animals weekly.
“The figures may be higher than that, 3 000 is the number of cattle that have been recorded hence we encourage farmers to dip their cattle on a weekly basis. If others are left behind, we will not manage to contain the disease,” he said.
“It is not true that the disease is transmittable especially at dip tanks, only the ticks are the purveyors of the disease.”
Desperate villagers are now selling their cattle for between US$50 to US$60, in a bid to salvage something.
There is a growing fear that meat being sold in butcheries was contaminated with the January dieses.
Dzimwasha warned individuals who buy cattle that would have either died or contaminated with intention to sell it for human consumption in butcheries.
“As Veterinary department, we warn unscrupulous individuals who are buying contaminated cattle with intention to sell it for human consumption, we have January disease in the province as you are aware.
“Besides having the January disease pandemic in the province, it will become difficult to detect what the cattle would have succumbed to, because it can be another disease for instance anthrax hence the people will consume the meat and die,” Dzimwasha warned.
According to the Public Health Act which is administered by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, all butcheries should sell meat that is first inspected.
Butcheries are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and local authorities under the Environmental health departments.
A health expert who preferred anonymity told the Business Times that it was important for people to buy meat that comes from registered abattoirs as it would have first been inspected.
“During meat inspection that’s when cysts that cause tapeworms in people can be seen in the muscles of cattle. Meat slaughtered under goes first stage which is called pre-slaughter inspection where animals are inspected before they are slaughtered to ensure if the animal is healthy. The second stage is called meat inspection stage where meat is inspected to check for diseases that cannot be seen in a live animal.”
