Today the world marks 10 years following the eradication of rinderpest.
Dr Walter Masiga who coordinated the rinderpest eradication efforts from the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources said just like the current Covid-19 pandemic, rinderpest plague brought suffering to livestock farmers.
This, he said, was at a time when veterinary diagnostics had not advanced as it has today.
“This rinderpest challenge sired speedy advancements in vaccines development and led to discovery of various disease control and prevention interventions,” he told the Star on Friday during an interview.
Masiga said Kenya stood out in many aspects during and even after the eradication of rinderpest.
“It was in Kenya that a safer vaccine was developed, Kenya also hosted and is still home to the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources, which served a continental coordinating role during the eradication battle,” he said.
The World Organisation for Animal Health-OIE declared eradication of rinderpest in 2011. After UN- Food and Agriculture Organisation member countries agreed to maintain world freedom from rinderpest and approved the destruction or sequestration of all remaining rinderpest virus containing materials.
FAO data indicates that although rinderpest no longer occurs in livestock, the rinderpest virus-containing material is being stored in laboratories of 24 countries where it poses a risk through inadvertent or malicious release.
“FAO is leading the process of reducing the number of laboratories keeping the virus by advocating for and offering assistance to destroy or relocate it to highly secure FAO-OIE rinderpest holding facilities,” says FAO.
Masiga explained that rinderpest was a deadly viral disease of domestic and wild animals.
“The disease was characterised by a fever, wounds in the mouth, diarrhoea and death. Rinderpest caused deaths of many cattle and outbreaks left in their wake famine and untold sufferings to households’ dependent on cattle,” he said.
He added that the disease was highly infectious and there were many cases of farmers who lost hundreds of animals within a fortnight.
“If there is anything that I carry in my heart today with a lot of delight is the fact that I participated in this noble battle that saw rinderpest eradicated from the world,” said Masiga.
Dr Dickens Chibeu who coordinated the eradication efforts in northern Kenya, Ethiopia, Somali and Southern Sudan said the challenges were many.
“It was easy to give up than to remain in the battle field but we carried on. Kenyan scientists diligently worked to convince vets to focus on supervision at a time when administrating vaccines was seen as the only way to battle the disease,” said Chibeu.
-Edited by SKanyara