Diseases carried by ticks
Practical Action
Pound 5 aloe leaves and mix the pulp with 300 ml of paraffin oil and 2 handfuls of
kitchen ash to make a paste. Apply on infested parts of the animal body.
(Camels, cattle, donkeys, goats, sheep; Luo, 3)
Dry 5 kg of eteteleit (Acalypha fruticosa) leaves and crush them to powder.
Soak 1 handful of the powder in 250 ml of water for 1 hour. Pour off the water and
smear the sediment onto the ear. (Turkana)
If the tick problems persist, dip or spray the animal with an acaricide. (1)
Anaplasmosis
Anaplasmosis is an important disease in many species.
While deaths are not common, animals may die because
they refuse to eat. The disease is mild in calves but severe
in adult cattle. It also affects goats and sheep.
Signs
Refusal to eat.
Constipation, very hard dung.
Panting.
Sudden drop in milk production.
Fever.
Swollen abdomen.
Loss of balance.
Raised hair.
Animal is depressed and
docile; it seeks shade.
Anaemia, jaundice: mucous
membranes (especially the
eyes)
look yellow.
Little, yellowish urine.
Yellow eyes.
If the animal is slaughtered, the meat is
yellowish.
Cause
A protozoan disease carried by Boophilus ticks,
other ticks, and biting flies.
Also known as
Ndigania (Embu), biraa (Gabbra),
ndigana (Gikuyu), nthiana
(Kamba), cheptikonit (Kipsigis),
endigama, lipis (Maasai),
nthigana (Meru), mporoto, ndiss
(Samburu), lonyang' (Turkana)
Prevention
• See general comments on prevention
.
Treatment
Crush 0.5 kg of leaves of murerema (Basella alba, a climbing
herb). Mix with 0.5 litre of water. Drench 0.5 to 1 litre per day
for 3 days for adult cattle (250 ml for goats and calves). Do not
heat the mixture, as this destroys the effectiveness of the
medicine. (Cattle, goats, sheep; Embu, Gikuyu, Kipsigis, Luo, 3)
Crush a stem of banana using a pestle and mortar. Collect the
sap and drench 1 litre a day for 3 days for adult cattle (500 ml
for goats and calves). (Cattle, goats, sheep; Embu, 3)
Collect 2 kg of ldepe (A. oeforta, A. nubica) bark and soak it in 20
litres of water for 2 days. On the third day, stir and then slowly
Boophilus tick: Carries
anaplasmosis
3