Annual report of the Veterinary Department, Sudan Government.

  • Sudan. Veterinary Department.
Date:
[1929]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Veterinary Department, Sudan Government. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/46 (page 6)
    I. DISEASES OF ANIMALS. Diseases of Cattle. Until a few years ago the Arab cattle owners appear to have viewed with grave suspicion any suggestion of interference with their stock by the Veter¬ inary staff. The result was that the existence of disease was rarely reported until after an outbreak had assumed such proportions that the Veterinary staff was unable to exercise effective control over it. Instances also came to notice where reports of heavy losses having been suffered from disease were only made when the assessment of herd tax was under discussion. This state of affairs may have arisen as the result of the imposition of irksome quaran¬ tine measures in the past the object of which was not apparent to the cattle owners, but, whatever its origin, it rendered the task of disease control incredibly difficult if not impossible. Under present conditions in the Sudan disease control measures can only be applied effectively provided the cattle owning tribes appreciate their value and are prepared to render all necessary assistance to the Veterinary staff in carrying them out. The first essential step is to obtain the confidence of the people concerned and it is gratifying to record that there is every indication of con¬ siderable progress having been made recently in this direction. This is evi¬ denced mainly by a greater willingness on the part of owners to report the exist¬ ence of disease in the hope that veterinary assistance will be forthcoming to inoculate or vaccinate their cattle with a view of reducing their losses to a minimum. This welcome change of attitude is probably attributable to a variety of causes chief of which are, undoubtedly, the provision of motor transport for the Veter¬ inary staff, and the provision of adequate supplies of a protective serum against cattle plague and of a safe and effective culture vaccine against contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia. The use of motor transport permits of Veterinary Inspectors keeping in closer touch, than was formerly possible, with the conditions obtaining throughout the large areas they are in charge of, and enables them to proceed rapidly, with supplies of serum and vaccine, to outbreaks in outlying districts. Time saved in this way is of the greatest value in dealing with outbreaks of epizootic diseases. The marked success that has attended the free use of cattle plague anti¬ serum and of culture vaccine against contagious ‘ bovine pleuro-pneumonia, in combating outbreaks of these diseases, has probably been the most potent factor in removing the feeling of distrust of veterinary measures from the cattle owners’ minds. It is interesting to record that, with the increased authority granted to Native Councils, indications are not lacking that these bodies are beginning to appreciate their responsibilities in connection with the control of diseases of live¬ stock. Requests have been received from various districts for selected natives to be given a training in veterinary work and to be returned afterwards to their