Don't vaccinate animals with 'Lumpy Skin Disease' - vet

MARANYANE NGWANAAMOTHO
Staff Writer | Friday February 4, 2011 00:00

Veterinary Officer at Gantsi, Dr Olebogeng Sengwaketse, said yesterday in an interview that animals that already have the clinical disease only need to be treated for secondary infections that can take advantage of the wounds and the lumps. 

He said that instead of vaccines, animals should be given antibiotics, especially those with sulphur to prevent secondary bacterial infections.  He said the vaccine will only worsen the condition. 

'Vaccines are additional stressors, so vaccinating the animal will only worsen the condition than help the body fight the infection.  So please do not vaccinate but instead give the animal antibiotics to prevent infections from secondary bacterial infections,' he said. 

He said that antibiotics will ensure that the animal does not get infections through wounds that they develop on their bodies. 

'When there are wounds, we should try and treat the wounds to prevent further infections,' he said, mentioning that there is currently no cure for the disease. 

He testified that farmers who had taken his advise and used antibiotics came back to report that their cattle survived.

He revealed that livestock advisory centres do not have the prevention vaccines but said that private pharmacies and veterinary clinics have the vaccine that farmers can buy and give to their livestock especially before the rainy seasons to prevent them from Lumpy Skin Disease. 

However, he revealed that in the whole of  the Gantsi District, there are no areas to find vaccines from, and that as veterinarians, they have therefore taken responsibility out of their goodwill to buy vaccines from private clinics and sell to farmers in the district.

'There are is no established veterinary clinics in Gantsi but as veterinarians we have decided to buy from pharmacies outside and sell to farmers in Gantsi.  This has helped a lot because farmers in this district were really struggling to find the vaccines,' he said. 

Sengwaketse said that since last year before the rainy season, they already had the disease in Gantsi. He said initially, the disease was heavily infested in Ngamiland before it was reported in Gantsi.  He said they have observed that heavy rains, which bring along flies that transfer the infection from one animal to another, perpetuate the disease.

'The condition is worse in Okwa Valley in Gantsi where there is water.  Especially with the recent heavy rains,' he said. 

Sengwaketse cautioned farmers that with heavy rain, there would always be high rates of changes of infections of their livestock, and they should therefore always vaccinate their livestock, especially before the rainy season.

'Farmers should always vaccinate their cattle for Pasteurelle, Lumpy Skin Disease, Botulism and Pulpy Kidney Disease for goats,' he said. 

Since last year, farmers have been losing their cattle to Lumpy Skin Disease. This disease is characterised by lumps that develop under the animal's skin, and later the wounds often bleed or even develop worms, farmers have said. 

Infected animals end up dying since there is no cure.  Farmers confessed that they do not understand the cause of the disease and called on the government to help.