Staff Reporter
THE Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform has announced the outbreak of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CPPP) commonly known as lung sickness which was detected in the Ncamagoro and Musese Constituencies of the Kavango West region on 28 February 2022.
Farmers at the Erago crushpen in Ncamagoro, and the Sau and Mayenzere crushpens in Musese notified veterinary officials in the region after observing some deaths and clinical signs in their cattle, mainly coughing.
The veterinary officials instituted an immediate outbreak investigation and recorded 16 clinical signs in over 20 cattle.
Lung sickness was confirmed by the Windhoek Central Veterinary Laboratory on 10 March 2022. The source of infection is under investigation.
Dr. Albertina Shilongo, state veterinarian explained, that lung sickness is mainly a disease of cattle and water buffalo caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides SC, a type of bacteria that attacks the lungs of susceptible animals.
“In Africa, lung sickness is known to cause greater losses of cattle than any other disease because it is highly contagious and with a mortality rate of more than 50%. Cattle death due to lung sickness can be sudden, however, the disease often develops in a chronic form resulting in subsequent cattle deaths over a period of time. Humans are not susceptible to lung sickness, thus no public health risk,” Dr. Shilongo said.
Touching on control measures, Dr. Shilongo noted that based on the movement pattern of cattle around the infected areas, a complete movement ban of live cattle (except for direct slaughter) within, in and out of Ncamagoro, Musese, Kapako and Mankumbi constituencies is imposed until further notice.
A number of roadblocks will be set up at strategic points and members of the public are urged to fully cooperate with Veterinary and Police Officials she stated.
The clinical signs of lung sickness include coughing and nasal discharges, increased and difficult breathing, poor body condition (in chronically infected cattle), and sick cattle may become recumbent (lie down).
