CIBITOKE/MWARO/CANKUZO November 10th (ABP) – Administrative officials of Cibitoke, Mwaro and Cankuzo provinces called to get involved in the vaccination campaign against the plague of small ruminants (PPR) planned from the 14th current.
In Cibitoke province, the veterinary inspector, Mr. Gérard Niyonsaba called on all the inhabitants of Cibitoke province to have all sheep and goats, aged three months and over, vaccinated from November 14. The call was launched on Tuesday, November 8, during an awareness meeting for administrators and veterinarians, organized by the governor’s cabinet in collaboration with the BPEAE.
According to the national inspector, the plague of small ruminants is a highly contagious viral disease, but which does not attack humans unlike Rift Valley fever. As this vaccine arrives, at a time when in Mabayi commune cattle are being vaccinated against Rift Valley fever, the five remaining communes are the only ones concerned by the vaccine against PPR, a check on the site by ABP has revealed. The same representative of the Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, warned those who will not bring their animals to the vaccine. Unlike the Rift Valley fever vaccine, which requires a 21-day wait before consuming the meat, five to six hours is enough to consume an animal vaccinated against the plague of small ruminants.
In Mwaro province, artificial insemination expert Arcade Rukundo said that this is the third or fourth vaccination campaign for goats and sheep, depending on the province, because the plague appeared in Burundi in 2017. If an animal is attacked, it dies if nothing is done.
The provincial director of the environment, agriculture and livestock in Mwaro, Libert Nzokirantevye asked the administrative officials to do everything to ensure that this activity is done at 100%. May there not be a goat or a sheep left unvaccinated. In Mwaro province, 79,072 goats and 15,867 sheep are expected for this year’s vaccination campaign.
In Cankuzo province, this will be the 4th vaccination campaign for goats and sheep, as indicated by the adviser to the animal health department at the ministry in charge of livestock, Mr. Sévérin Bagorikunda. It is organized with the aim of eradicating the plague of small ruminants by 2030.
Mr. Bagorikunda called on the administrators to sensitize the population on massive participation in that campaign so that the objective set is achieved.
As challenges, we spoke of the lack of means of transport at the level of the communal offices in charge of breeding and the excess number of animals targeted at the level of the villages.
Faced with those questions, he replied that he will bring the problem to the competent authorities to see if there are ways to proceed with the rental of the motorcycles. It should be noted that out of more than 146 thousand goats, more than 94 thousand will be vaccinated while out of more than 12 thousand sheep, more than 8 thousand will benefit from this vaccine in Cankuzo province.