A team of veterinarians along the common border of Kenya and Ethiopia have started vaccinating animals to prevent the outbreak and spread of contagious animal diseases.
The animals, mostly sheep, goats and cows are being vaccinated against Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) and Peste de Petits Ruminants (PPR) alongside deworming.
The Marsabit County Government’s Regional Pastoral Livelihood Resilience Program (RPLRP) and the World Bank are financing the exercise.
Speaking to KNA on Friday, Marsabit County Secretary, Malicha Boru said they are supporting the cross border vaccination as people were living in both countries with their herds.
“The issue of animal diseases is very critical to communities living along the common border and this vaccination exercise will strengthen our relationship in an effort to eradicate the menace in the near future,” Boru said.
The veterinarians will first visit Bokola village, situated a few kilometers from Moyale town in Ethiopia and then proceed for a day-long exercise in Mansile village, Heilu ward on the Kenyan side. They will be accompanied by RPLRP officials from Turkana, Mandera and Wajir counties.
“The mass animal vaccination exercise follows the recent outbreak of PPR within Mount Kulal area within Marsabit County. In the last two weeks about 195, 000 animals across the county were vaccinated,” added Boru.
Meanwhile, the county secretary has appealed to animal owners from both countries to turn up in large numbers with their livestock, adding animal diseases knew no boundaries and thus required joint efforts.
A Senior Deputy Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Charles Ochodo said PPR was first reported in the country in 2006.
Dr. Ochodo said the exercise will run for the next two weeks and urged herders from the two neighbouring countries to take full advantage of the rare opportunity to inoculate their livestock.
He said the government has formulated a ten-year control measure dubbed, PPR control and eradication strategy 2017-2027.
By Gatana Muchira
