by Joy Wanja Muraya and Josphat Muema
In the heart of Kenya’s pastoralist communities in Kenya, where cattle are the lifeline of survival, Dr. Wyckliff Ngetich, a veterinary surgeon and PhD fellow at the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health (AHIL), is spearheading efforts to combat East Coast Fever (ECF), a devastating tick-borne disease.
East Coast Fever threatens the economic stability of rural households and exacerbates food insecurity and malnutrition.
Dr. Wyckliff Ngetich, a veterinary surgeon and a PhD fellow at Feed The Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health, has been at the forefront of uncovering East Coast Fever, ECF, prevalence, creating disease awareness, and spreading the word on preventive and treatment measures in Narok County.
Despite the documented prevalence of ECF in the region, most farmers that Dr. Ngetich and his team have engaged with claim to have become aware of the disease, its prevention, and treatment through the AHIL project. This background alone stamps the relevance of the AHIL program.
The scale of the ECF burden is significant, but it’s not insurmountable. Dr. Ngetich, a PhD fellow at the University of Nairobi’s College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, and a lecturer at Egerton University, believes we can alleviate this challenge with urgent and concerted efforts. He is proud to be part of a team that makes a difference.
“We have evidence that the disease is present in Narok South, and we went deeper and found out that almost 30 percent of the cattle population is at risk of getting the disease within their first year of life,” said Dr. Ngetich, referring to the AHIL study, which has enrolled 600 households in the expansive Narok South sub-county.
The Feed, the Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health (AHIL), is being implemented in 600 households in Narok County, Kenya, to improve human nutrition, economic welfare, and resilience by removing cattle health and production constraints in Kenya and the East Africa region.
According to Dr Ng’etich, East Coast Fever (ECF) is one of the biggest killers of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa, with various studies estimating that over one million cows die annually from the deadly tick-borne disease.
Such loss of livestock, especially for pastoralist communities, has devastating effects, including loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, and a heightened malnutrition risk, particularly among children.
Therefore, finding lasting solutions to stem the disease and curb its threats to communities is important and urgent. This journey begins with identifying hotspots and understanding the extent of the spread.
Dr. Ngetich is part of the AHIL team studying the disease in Narok South, home to one of the main pastoralist communities in Kenya and, according to preliminary studies, an ECF hotspot.
Further, Dr.Ngetich and his team have established a 44.4 percent mortality rate for infected animals, which he notes is very high for indigenous breeds, which are generally more resilient than exotic ones. According to Ngetich, the mortality rate of exotic cattle breeds affected by the disease can be as high as 80 percent.
ECF is estimated to affect over 20 million smallholder livestock farmers in 12 countries across Africa, including Kenya, and causes over $300 million in economic losses yearly. The mortality rate and losses could be higher as reporting is low for isolated livestock farmers.
Dr. Ngetich firmly believes these communities can be reached, but county governments must invest significantly in effective agricultural extension services.
He says extension services can also help raise awareness of the spread of disease and available preventive measures.
“Because of the awareness we are creating, livestock farmers under this project have gotten to know about the vaccine and are eagerly asking when they will finally access them,” said Dr.Ngetich.
“It is evident that ECF poses great challenges to them, and these communities are aware that it is deadly and don’t want to lose their livelihood. Urgent measures like vaccination and tick control are needed to protect the animals,” he said.
Besides, the opportunity to provide solutions is a dream for Dr. Ngetich, whose interest in veterinary medicine was sparked eight years after witnessing a near-death cow’s treatment and recovery.
His contributions to ECF research so far include a study on varying cattle production systems and a recent paper he co-authored on the prevalence of ECF in Narok County, which provided evidence of Theileria parva circulation among young calves in the region, with possible linkages to maternal antibody transfer.
Dr. Ngetich is making a mark in the research world and plans to continue contributing to the community of researchers pursuing a lasting solution to the deadly disease.
About the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Animal Health is a five-year cooperative agreement funded by the USAIDBureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security.
The Innovation Lab for Animal Health’s vision is to improve human nutrition, economic welfare, and resilience by removing cattle health and production constraints in Kenya and the East African region.
Washington State University leads the Innovation Lab for Animal Health consortium with Kenya-based partners, including the University of Nairobi, the International Livestock Research Institute, and scientists from the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization.