1. The losses caused by animal health problems can be classified into direct and indirect losses. Direct losses are mainly caused by mortality while indirect losses are caused by decreased growth, fertility and work output (morbidity losses). Estimates of direct losses are in the order of US$ 2 billion per year. The importance of indirect losses is more difficult to estimate, but are generally thought to be of the same order of magnitude. The breakdown of the estimated direct losses per class of animals is as follows:
|
Category
|
Total Population |
Av. Mortality |
Av. Price |
Total Loss |
|
|
(million head) |
(%) |
(US$) |
(million US$) |
||
|
Cattle |
|||||
|
|
Calves |
40 |
20 |
40 |
320 |
|
|
Adults |
120 |
5 |
200 |
1200 |
|
Sheep & Goats |
|||||
|
|
Lambs/kids |
80 |
25 |
10 |
200 |
|
|
Adults |
140 |
10 |
20 |
280 |
|
|
Pigs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
All |
10 |
10 |
30 |
30 |
|
Poultry |
|||||
|
|
Village |
400 |
20 |
2 |
160 |
|
|
Intensive |
100 |
5 |
3 |
15 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
2205 |
|
The total of US$ 2 billion concurs with figures provided by FAO.
2. There is a lack of quantitative information on the relative importance of the different diseases. Disease surveys carried out in specific regions, frequently in the framework of a project, show an overwhelming importance of internal parasites especially as a cause of young stock mortality. Furthermore they show, slightly less but still very important, losses caused by diseases transmitted by external parasites (ticks, e.g. East Coast Fever, Anaplasmosis, etc. especially in East and Southern Africa). The ANNEX 1 losses resulting from the major contagious diseases Rinderpest and Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CPBB), are relatively insignificant, because of the reasonable level of immunity resulting from national annual vaccination campaigns, resuscitated after the major outbreaks in 1982-1983. The major cost concerning these diseases consist in maintaining immunity at the level required to prevent a repetition of such general outbreaks. The vaccination against Rinderpest is therefore the main-and sometimes only-task of SSA's livestock services. Under most of Africa's extensive production systems, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) does not result in major economic losses and therefore does not warrant a generalized vaccination coverage. Blanket vaccination might be justified in intensive dairy production and for those countries (presently Botswana, Zimbabwe and provisionally Madagascar) which have a preferential access for meat and meat products to the European Economic Community. Trypanosomiasis or animal sleeping sickness, transmitted by the tsetse fly, precludes raising of trypano-sensitive breeds (90% of SSA's cattle population and 70% of SSA's small ruminant population) in tsetse infested areas, unless maintained permanently on a drug regime. Peste de Petit Ruminant (PPR) is a major killer of sheep and goats in the humid zones of West and Central Africa. The use of Tissue Culture Rinderpest (TCR) vaccine, which has been found effective against PPR, is increasingly being used. New Castle Disease, coccidiosis and fowl pox are the major killer diseases of poultry. Vaccines are available for all diseases. A number of countries (Burkina Faso, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, etc.) have started vaccinations of village poultry with good effect.
