The Food and Agriculture Organisation has launched frontline In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) for the first Kenyan cohort of veterinarians and para-veterinary professionals. Speaking during the launch in Nakuru, FAO Country Representative Carla Mucavi said field veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals were an indispensable human resource in ensuring animal health and economic growth in the sub-sector. “They have strong ties to the local communities, contribute to effective surveillance, field investigation and are often first responders of an animal disease outbreak,” she said. The PS revealed that porous international boundaries bordering countries with poor or non-existent disease control strategies due to political instability was also constraining the fight against animal diseases. Extreme weather patterns including droughts and floods due to climate change, large prevalence of vectors such as mosquitoes, tsetse flies and ticks were also listed as challenges hindering eradication of livestock diseases.

Source: The Star June 08, 2021 16:41 UTC