International Livestock Research Institute has provided 15 mobile phones to technical extension officers and community health and livestock service providers in order to monitor livestock diseases in the villages.
Isiolo Marsabit ILRI coordinator Mr. Adan Abdi said that the organization would provide 100 mobile phones to community livestock extension workers and 60 more for veterinary and livestock officers in Isiolo County.
Abdi said that an intercommunication booster would be installed at the County Livestock Office to enhance monitoring of diseases reported by field reporters so that they could be responded to as quickly as possible.
He added that all trained community livestock extension workers would be provided with an airtime worth Sh350 each month and among other things they were expected to report includes the animal body conditions.
Handing over 15 E-service provider mobile phones to County Executive Member for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Dr. Lawrence Mwongera, Abdi said all disease surveillance teams would be central to educating wananchi on the importance of social distancing, hand washing and sanitizing their hands at market and slaughter house areas where everything would be catered for by his organization.
Dr. Mwongera said that the county had 15 livestock markets and the County government had improved nine of them to modern markets except three that were built by USAID in Isiolo, Oldonyiro and Kinna.
Dr. Mwongera said that the county government and other stake holders improved health status of locals by training young and energetic residents to be Community Health Workers and Community Livestock Workers which reduced the spread of some diseases like Covid-19, water borne disease, TB and cancer by creating awareness about them.
He added that his office had mapped out areas where E-services providers would be operating from and a centralized data base established at County Veterinary office for close monitoring and quicker treatment.
By Abduba Mamo
