ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Environment → Animals

Vaccinating against livestock disease could reduce poverty in eastern Africa, study finds

Vaccines could go a long way towards alleviating poverty in the area.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
August 6, 2018
in Animals, Health
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

A proactive vaccination strategy against foot-and-mouth, an infectious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, could significantly alleviate poverty in eastern Africa, according to a paper published online this week in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

Cattle farmers all around the world dread foot-and-mouth disease — the virus can cause a high fever and generates painful blisters on the foot and mouth of the unfortunate animal. If these blisters rupture, they can lead to lameness. Adult animals aren’t normally killed by the virus, though young animals are much more vulnerable to it.

The disease has massive economic (and ethical) implications for global farming, especially since it is highly infectious and can spread easily through contact with contaminated farming equipment, vehicles, and even clothing. As a result, the disease affects many areas of the world causing extensive damage, particularly in cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.

There are vaccines available on the market, but their efficiency is limited because the virus is highly genetically variable. Even so, vaccines may very well be worth the investment as in most cases, they can make a big difference — particularly in impoverished areas.

In a new study, Miriam Casey-Bryars writes that livestock production in Africa is key to national economies, food security and rural livelihoods and more than 85% of livestock keepers live in extreme poverty. Casey-Briars wrote did her PhD thesis on the epidemiology of foot-and-mouth disease, is the lead author of a new paper analyzing the best possible methods to keep the disease under control.

In Africa alone, foot-and-mouth disease is estimated to account for production losses of around US$2.3 billion each year. However, control of the disease is not prioritized: standard vaccination strategies are considered too costly, the impact the disease has on the poorest keepers is almost certainly underestimated, and the local epidemiology is not properly understood.

RelatedPosts

New COVID variant identified in France — but experts say we shouldn’t fear it
WHO endorses first Dengue Fever vaccine
Study on mice: Exercising later in life can keep your muscles young
Black Plague genome sequenced by scientists

Vaccination strategies in southern Africa have been successful, although there seems to be far more infection coming from the wildlife in these areas as compared to the eastern parts. This means that it’s cattle, not wildlife driving the disease in eastern Africa — and a timely study of the virus combined with proactive vaccinations could prevent most infections, saving a lot of money for farmers. It also means that wildlife-livestock separation strategies (currently implemented) are unlikely to be effective.

Researchers found that proactive studies and vaccination campaigns could go a long way towards alleviating poverty in the area.

“An enduring problem is that of resources, making routine prophylactic vaccination infeasible, which has resulted in no high quality tailored polyvalent vaccine being developed and a concomitant lack of faith in those that have been procured.”

“Our results indicate that targeted serotype-specific livestock vaccination with monovalent high-potency vaccines ahead of oncoming waves of infection could be more affordable and still has the potential to mitigate the economic and disease impacts in the region, contributing to current poverty-alleviation agendas,” the researchers conclude.

The study has been published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

Tags: diseasefoot-and-mouthgoat

ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Health

Jay Bhattacharya has a history of misinformation. He’s about to head the NIH

byMihai Andrei
2 months ago
Diseases

Cute squirrels gave medieval Britons leprosy. Or was it the other way around?

byMihai Andrei
1 year ago
artwork for Proteins Involved in Alzheimer's Can 'Overcook' Cells Through Heat, Study Finds
Health

Alzheimer’s disease causes brain cells to overheat and ‘fry like eggs’

byMichelle Petersen
3 years ago
Human Body

What does it mean if your poop is green – do you need to see a doctor?

byMichelle Petersen
3 years ago

Recent news

This Superbug Learned How to Feed on Plastic from Hospitals

May 20, 2025

China’s Tiangong space station has some bacteria that are unknown to science

May 20, 2025

Hidden Communication Devices Found in Chinese-Made Inverters Could Put U.S. Electrical Grid at Risk

May 20, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.