ABORTION in livestock has been termed as a major cause of economic loss in Sub-Sahara Africa, including Tanzania.
Mr George Semango from the Nelson
Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NMAIST) unveiled
here that in spite of that fact, the burden is always underestimated due
to poor reporting systems.
Mr Semango who along with two other
scientists is investigating the epidemiology and surveillance of
livestock abortigenic pathogens in Northern Tanzania, disclosed that an
enhanced surveillance system using mobile phones, involving the
community could gather comprehensive data.
The scientist who is on a field trip
with Professor Bassirou Bonfoh who is the Director of Africa Science
Partnership for Intervention Research Excellence (ASPIRE) and Ms Sarah
Cleaveland from the University of Glasgow, UK, said mobile phones in
Tanzania have great potential in such systems due to their wide
availability and wide service coverage.
“Livestock abortion events cause
morbidity and mortality as well as heavy financial losses to the
communities affected. This project focuses on the barriers preventing
farmers from reporting abortion while also determining the
seroprevalence of cases in livestock.
Additionally common infectious agents
causing abortion in cattle, sheep and goats will be genotyped,” said Mr
Semango. Furthermore, the researcher noted that the team aims to
stimulate community participation on reporting by enhancing existing
reporting channels using mobile phones.
He noted that this would be the first
time the reporting barriers impacting surveillance systems would be
determined and the existing abortion surveillance systems characterised.
Mr Semango said it is combined with
information on seroprevalence and genotypic identification of the most
common abortigenic agents in livestock in Northern Tanzania. He noted
that along with the information, it will provide the much needed basis
to put a working, community based surveillance system in place.
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