Cattle vector-borne disease occurrence and management and climate change experiences in pastoral communities in Northern Tanzania

The livestock sector is vital to Tanzanian economy, and pastoralists largely depend on livestock production for their livelihood. The Vector-Borne Diseases (VBDs) of cattle, East Coast fever (ECF) and African animal trypanosomosis (AAT), whose occurrence are known to be influenced by climatic conditions, cause substantial cattle production losses in pastoralist communities that may be heightened with climate change. However, little is documented on pastoralists’ experiences and observations on climate change and ECF and AAT occurrence. Further, information on management practices for ECF and AAT is outdated following privatisation of veterinary services in Tanzania. This research employed 10 randomly selected villages of Monduli District in Northern Tanzania in 2014-2015. The study explored pastoralist indigenous knowledge of the relationship between climate parameters (temperature and rainfall) and ECF and AAT using participatory epidemiology approaches. The study also quantified the seasonal prevalence of Theileria parva and trypanosome infection in 960 cattle during the wet and dry seasons. Entomological surveys for brown ear ticks (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus) and tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) were also carried out. Assessment of management practices for ECF and AAT, seasonal movements and wildlife interactions in Maasai ecosystem were investigated. This research was the first to explore pastoralists’ understanding, observation and experiences on climate parameters and ECF and AAT. The findings on seasonal prevalence of T. parva and trypanosome infection will help inform decision-making on current and future cattle VBD control strategies. In addition, the information gathered from this thesis will inform the design and implementation of active surveillance, better control and preventive strategies to manage vectors and cattle vector-borne diseases in a changing climate in pastoral communities