Pastoralist strategies for tick-borne and tsetse borne disease control: studies anong the Maasai in Morogoro, Tanzania
Silayo, R.S|Kimbita, E.N|Mutayoba, B.M|Maselle, R.M / 2000

A rapid rural appraisal (RRA) study among transhumant pastoralists in Morogoro region Tanzania has revealed strategies of tick-borne and tsetse-borne disease control which relate to the longstanding general lack of expert veterinary services in pastoral areas and the more recent (1984) change from government- to privately-delivered veterinary services. In this preliminary study, transhumant pastoralists in Morogoro and Kilosa districts who were predominantly Maasai, were interviewed to determine how they deal with the most important diseases of livestock namely tick-borne diseases and trypanosomosis. It was found out that, following the change from free/subsidised dipping to farmer's own-cost dipping, acaricides became more expensive and not readily available in the specified formulations. Interrupted supply often resulted in colossal losses of cattle in herds, which had been intensively dipped. This lead to general adaptation of non-dipping strategy to establish endemic stability, to tick-borne diseases. In the course of trying to establish endemic stability farmers lost as much as 80% of their calf crop through mainly East Coast Fever. There was indication of misuse of relatively cheaper agricultural pesticides for occasional spraying on cattle, sheep and goats to avoid flea and biting-fly nuisance. The strategy for trypanosomosis control was application of trypanocides curatively hand in hand with traditional tsetse avoidance. The route of administration of the trypanocides (as well as other animal drugs) was intravenous even in the case of those drugs for which the route of administration as recommended by the manufacturer, is other than intravenous. Often the intravenous dose administered appeared sub-curative and would therefore likely lead to development of drug resistance. At other times, the dose administered was lethal. Whereas parastatal ranches within the same region have successfully reduced the need for trypanocides through use of synthetic pyrethroids which control both tsetse and ticks, this method is unavailable to the Maasai pastoralists largely due to the nature of transhumant pastoralism itself but also partly due to the desire for endemic stability to tick-borne diseases. It was concluded that there was a clear need for extension efforts to enable farmers organise themselves to deal with the changed veterinary service delivery system particularly as it relates to control of tick-borne and tsetse-borne diseases. Additionally, if trypanocide application remains the mainstay trypanosomosis control strategy, there is a need to address the problem of Maasai applying every drug intravenously.