Animal health constraints to cattle production in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania
Akarro, F.M.N|Maro, J.K / 1992

In a livestock performance survey carried out in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, diseases were singled out as the main constraint to cattle production. Tick-borne diseases, and in particular East Coast fever (ECF), ranked highest on the list of diseases of economic importance. of the endoparasitic diseases, Fascioliasis was the major constraint.

In studies of foot and mouth disease (FMD) epidemiology carried out in Mbeya, some strong indications of seasonal variation were recorded, with a higher incidence of the disease in the dry season than in the wet season. The reasons put forward for such observations were the increased movement of livestock in the dry season in search of water and pasture. Outbreaks in Mbeya were mainly due to inadequate vaccine supply, in-efficient imposition of quarantine measures during outbreaks, badly maintained stock routes and enclosures, and the increasingly high price of FMD vaccine, which, in most cases, livestock keepers cannot afford.