SYDNEY MUBAIWA
GWERU – Theileriosis also known as January Disease has claimed 30 cattle in Gunde, Sundula and Mabodza areas in Ward 12 under Vungu Rural District Council last month despite dipping regimes continuing in the affected places.
Heavy rains that pounded the area have washed off acaricides and caused uncontrolled cattle movement, worsening tick spread at the interface of Kwekwe, Gweru and Mvuma districts — a situation flagged as a concern by the Department of Veterinary and Technical Services.
January Disease, is caused by Theileria parva and spread by the brown ear tick. It causes fever, swollen lymph nodes, and death within days if untreated.
Dr Oliver Vulindhlela Mutero, a veterinary microbiologist and researcher at Africa Research University (Lusaka, Zambia) who studied Theileriosis in Kwekwe, Gweru and Mvuma districts since 2023 in partnership with the Department of Veterinary and Technical Services and the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Bulawayo said the disease has affected the size of the national herd .
“In the period of January to March, we confirmed 5–to 10 cattle deaths linked to Theileriosis in each of the three areas in Ward 12 of Vungu RDC — Gunde, Sundula and Mabodza. Many cases go unreported.
. “Heavy rains pounded these areas in January to March. Even where dipping regimes continued, the rains washed acaricide off the animals within days. That, combined with the animal-cattle interface where cattle graze with wildlife, share water points, and mix with untreated herds, created ideal conditions for brown ear ticks carrying Theileria parva to spread,” he said.
Dr Mutero added that the uncontrolled movement of cattle herds at the interface of Kwekwe, Gweru and Mvuma districts remains a major concern for DVTS and researchers.
“Cattle are moving freely across district boundaries to reach grazing after the rains. They carry ticks with them. When dipping is interrupted or diluted by rain, the interface becomes a super-spreader,” he said.
He warned against consuming meat from Theileriosis cases a development he said would further spread the disease.
“The fever and parasite load make it unsafe. Worse, leaving carcasses in the open keeps engorged ticks alive at the animal-cattle interface, ready to attach to the next healthy beast,” he said.
A farmer from Sundula, Ward 12, lost 6 cattle in March.
“It was not daily, but every few days we would lose another beast — stops eating, eyes turn white, then it dies,” he said.
“Yes, we did dip some weeks in January to March, but the rains were too heavy. By the time we got home from Sundula dip tank, the chemical was gone,” he added.
At Gunde Shopping Centre, Gunde Butchery has gained community trust by displaying every animal for public inspection before slaughter.
Morgan Chiwundura, the owner of the butchery, said: “After we heard people were eating dead beasts at home, we made a rule: every animal we buy is tied at the butchery by 6am.
” Farmers, health officials, anyone can come and check it for fever, swollen nodes, or ticks. We only slaughter after 9am if it’s cleared. Customers now wait to see the beast alive before they buy,” he said.
Dr Mutero said the rains demand a change in strategy to combat the disease.
“Weekly dipping must continue but with shorter intervals after heavy rain. We need rain-fast acaricides and buffer zones at shared water points and at the interface of the three districts to limit mixing of treated and untreated herds,” he said .
He warned villagers in Chiwundura communal lands not to eat the affected cattle.
“We encourage residents not to eat animals that die on their own. Call your veterinary officer. Burn or bury carcasses 2m deep. One trusted butchery is saving lives, but it cannot replace control at the animal-cattle interface and the district boundaries, especially after heavy rains,” he said.
