Fake drugs accelerate cattle tick infestation

Gatsibo–Counterfeit and falsely labelled veterinary drugs represent a serious threat to drug resistant ticks in the country.This was disclosed by Dr. Christine Kanyandekwe, Deputy Director General in charge of Livestock at Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB), while addressing farmers in Eastern Province yesterday.She advised farmers to always buy drugs from certified firms.Ticks pose a real threat to the health of domestic animals besides the transmission of numerous viruses, bacteria and protozoa, hence the government’s recent crackdown on counterfeit drugs.“You buy smuggled fake drugs from unknown areas…especially those of you in border areas. Ticks’ resistance could be due to that,” she said.“We may change the current drugs on offer if they are the cause. We have 1.8 million cows in the country with two thirds of those in Eastern Province… We depend on the province for milk production, which is why we are very concerned about the ticks.”Joseph Nkubano, a farmer in the province, confirmed that the tick infestation was on the rise, adding that the drugs in use were ineffective. He, however, said a number of issues could be contributing to the spread of ticks.“The free movement of cattle leads to the spread of ticks… Unfortunately, some farmers are irresponsible. Yet, we have a bug threat that needs everybody’s attention,” he said.

National

Fake drugs accelerate cattle tick infestation