Focus on . . . Livestock Health (part 1)

We begin a two-part focus on livestock health in this edition, covering news of outbreaks of disease and developments in their control. From cutting edge science in genetic decoding to ethnoveterinary practices that have stood the test of time, the articles cover a wide range of issues within this highly important area of agriculture. As it is impossible to do justice to the subject in one edition, we shall return to it in the next. Let us know as soon as possible if you would like to contribute ideas or information.

Early warning, early reaction

The theory is straightforward and sounds simple; outbreaks of transmittable animal disease can be minimized with early warning and early reaction. In practice these require a degree of emergency preparedness that might . . .

Undramatic loss?

Throughout the last century, the pharmaceutical industry was able to develop increasingly effective new compounds to control a large number of different, economically important parasites and their associated diseases. An inevitable consequence . . .

Ethnoveterinary medicine: A resource for development

Sheep and goats in some villages in West Java, Indonesia, are remarkably free from the intestinal worms that curse livestock in many parts of the world. Why? Because of . . .

Eradicating a Tick in Time...

Tiny, tenacious and a pernicious, disease-carrying pest of livestock, the tropical Bont tick has been island hopping in the Caribbean for more than 170 years. In a consolidated effort to break the tick's hold and prevent its possible . . .

A vital vaccine

The decoding of genetic information from one of Africa's most destructive parasites should speed the development of a cost-effective vaccine for East Coast fever - a major constraint to cattle production in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists from the . . .

CSF: a communication crisis?

In the UK, pig farmers have been struggling with an epidemic of Classical Swine Fever (CSF), which was first diagnosed in July 2000. Many pig herds have been affected and thousands of pigs slaughtered. Effective surveillance . . .

Export potential

For the past year, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has been giving serious cause for concern in East Asia. But, perhaps even more worrying, are the unprecedented outbreaks of the disease in . . .

Airborne

As the plane takes off from Mali's capital city airport, Bamako, the cabin crew walk smartly down the aisles spraying insecticide as they go. Passengers avoid breathing in too deeply, despite the assurance that they, unlike any stowaway . . .

Peste des petits ruminants - an emerging plague?

Rinderpest, arguably the most feared livestock disease of previous decades, is currently a reality to farmers in a few isolated areas only. But perhaps more worrying for farmers in many parts of Asia and Africa, is the reality of . . .

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