Rwanda: Livestock Disease Management and Food Safety Brief

The livestock population has gradually increased since the war of 1994, with the proportion of Rwandan households keeping cattle rising from 34.4% in 2005/2006 to 50.4% in 2013/2014. The Government of Rwanda considers the cattle subsector, particularly dairy, as an important part of Rwandan agriculture and livestock, and a pathway out of poverty. Livestock diseases are significant challenges to the cattle subsector in Rwanda. East Coast Fever (ECF), anaplasmosis, babesiosis, trypanosomiasis, anthrax, brucellosis, tuberculosis, foot and mouth disease (FMD), contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), and parasites are common. The losses due to diseases account for 25% of the value of cattle production. A 2007 survey of three districts in Eastern Province identified dystocia, retained placenta, tick-borne diseases, gastrointestinal parasites, abortion, blackleg and anthrax, FMD, trypanosomiasis, and lumpy skin disease as major animal health problems. East Coast Fever (ECF) is an endemic tick-borne cattle disease in Rwanda. The prevalence of ECF was reported to be 25.3% in a study conducted in the country. The prevalence of ECF was significantly higher in the highland agro-ecological zone than the lowland zone. Other tick-borne diseases, such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and trypanosomiasis, are also present in Rwanda. Bovine Tuberculosis (BTB) has a prevalence of 11% in cattle based on the tuberculin test, while brucellosis has a prevalence of 9.9% in animals based on the Rose Bengal Plate test. Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is an endemic cattle disease in Rwanda, with an outbreak reported in Eastern Province in 2010. Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) occurs sporadically in Rwanda, with Tanzania and/or Uganda suspected to be the sources of the infection due to cross-border animal movement. Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) has no published data for Rwanda. Mastitis has a prevalence of 51.8% in dairy cattle, with breed and husbandry systems associated with the prevalence. Internal parasites, such as Coccidia, Oesophagostomum, Paramphistomum, Haemonchus, and Moniezia, are common in livestock in Rwanda. External parasites, such as ticks, are abundant in all agro-ecologies of Rwanda, with Rhipicephalus appendiculatus as the most abundant tick species. Animal disease trends indicate that control methods, including vaccination and restrictions on movement of cattle, have reduced outbreaks of FMD and blackleg during the past few years. Rwanda has a zero tolerance program for brucellosis, and all imported ruminants are inspected for brucellosis. The Government of Rwanda has developed a mastitis control and prevention plan for 2015 to 2020.