Rift Valley Fever in northern Tanzania threatens pastoral recovery
Pastor Dale Morgan
Rift Valley Fever in northern Tanzania threatens pastoral recovery*
Rift Valley Fever (RVF), an acute, fever-causing viral disease that
affects livestock and humans, has broken out in northern Tanzania,
causing human and animal deaths and threatening pastoralist livelihoods.
Response activities and control measures by the Ministry of Livestock,
Ministry of Health, local government and local non-governmental
organizations are underway, but livestock death and quarantine measures
will prevent pastoralists from benefiting from recent good rains and
resultant good pasture conditions.
The Center for Disease Control in Nairobi, Kenya confirmed the presence
of RVF in Tanzania on February 1, after testing samples collected by the
Tanzanian Ministry of Livestock in Arusha. Animal abortions have been
reported in Kilosa, Tarime, Monduli and Simanjiro districts, and three
people have died in Monduli and Simanjiro districts (Figure 1).
Despite improved pasture and animal conditions in pastoral areas of
Tanzania following good rains in late 2006 and early 2007, the disease
is damaging pastoralist livelihoods through livestock deaths and
abortions. The disease is also adversely impacting the livestock market,
as inter-district movement of animals has been restricted. In addition
to pastoralists, the disease threatens the livelihoods of those who
depend on livestock products and related activities for labor opportunities.
The Aedes mosquito is the primary vector and reservoir of RVF, which
thrives in the wet conditions currently present throughout Tanzania. The
disease is also spread through contact with the blood and bodily fluids
of infected people and animals, eating infected meat or drinking raw
milk—a staple source of food for many pastoralists—from RVF-infected
animals. Human symptoms of the disease include high fever, strong
headaches, body pain, dizziness, nausea, pain within the eyes, loss of
weight and bleeding through body cavities. Animal symptoms include mucus
with blood, abortions, yellow color in animals’ eyes and sudden death.
Other human and animal diseases, such as malaria, have similar symptoms
that can be mistaken for RVF, and careful diagnosis is necessary.
The Tanzanian government has deployed veterinary staff for surveillance
and awareness activities in main livestock areas. About US$ 100,000 has
been disbursed for vaccinations and awareness-raising campaigns, and
quarantine measures are being implemented where animals have tested
positive for the disease. However, tight livestock movement restrictions
on the border between Tanzania and Kenya—the main livestock outlet for
the northern regions—will severely impact livestock trade and pastoral
livelihoods.