(ERGO) – Hersi Aden Farole, a pastoralist in a remote part of Galgadud region, has lost 100 goats in eight days due to a disease that he does not know how to control.
He is one of a number of herders in the Ardo area, 35 km from Adado, whose goats and sheep have been hit by an outbreak of suspected tick-borne illness in the past two weeks.
“Without observing any symptoms of an illness, you just find the animal is dead the next morning!” Hersi told Radio Ergo by phone, frustrated by the fact that he did not know how to identify the cause.
Hersi said a neighbour of his has lost 340 goats and sheep. Another local herder, Abdinor Dahir, said he had lost 90 goats.
According to Suleiman Mohamed Saleh, a member of the regional veterinary association in central Somalia (CEREPLA), based in Guriel, the symptoms described sounded like a tick-borne disease. There has been an increase in ticks this year and large numbers of animals have been affected in the region.
Dr Suleiman said most herders had little knowledge about the health of their animals. He advised them to use pesticides to get rid of ticks, especially during the hot season, and if necessary to change the place where they are being kept to avoid tick infestation.
Osman Dirshe Farah, deputy chair of Ardo administration, said they did not know the number of animals lost in the area but the impact on herders had been significant.
He said there were no veterinarians in the area and pastoralists often had to buy medicines from local pharmacies without a proper diagnosis or prescription. He requested help in getting proper veterinary drugs to curb the spread of the current disease.
