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1
Kiyong’a, Alice N., Elizabeth A. J. Cook, Nisreen M. A. Okba, et al. "Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Seropositive Camel Handlers in Kenya." Viruses 12, no. 4 (2020): 396. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v12040396.
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Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a respiratory disease caused by a zoonotic coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Camel handlers, including slaughterhouse workers and herders, are at risk of acquiring MERS-CoV infections. However, there is limited evidence of infections among camel handlers in Africa. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of antibodies to MERS-CoV in high-risk groups in Kenya. Sera collected from 93 camel handlers, 58 slaughterhouse workers and 35 camel herders, were screened for MERS-CoV antibodies using ELISA and PRNT. We found four seropositive slaughterhouse workers by PRNT. Risk factors amongst the slaughterhouse workers included being the slaughterman (the person who cuts the throat of the camel) and drinking camel blood. Further research is required to understand the epidemiology of MERS-CoV in Africa in relation to occupational risk, with a need for additional studies on the transmission of MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans, seroprevalence and associated risk factors.
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Sawchuk, Elizabeth A., Susan Pfeiffer, Carla E. Klehm, et al. "The bioarchaeology of mid-Holocene pastoralist cemeteries west of Lake Turkana, Kenya." Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 11, no. 11 (2019): 6221–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00914-4.
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Abstract Early herders in eastern Africa built elaborate megalithic cemeteries ~ 5000 BP overlooking what is now Lake Turkana in northwestern Kenya. At least six ‘pillar sites’ were constructed during a time of rapid change: cattle, sheep, and goats were introduced to the basin as the lake was shrinking at the end of the African Humid Period. Cultural changes at this time include new lithic and ceramic technologies and the earliest monumentality in eastern Africa. Isolated human remains previously excavated from pillar sites east of Lake Turkana seemed to indicate that pillar site platforms were ossuaries for secondary burials. Recent bioarchaeological excavations at four pillar sites west of the lake have now yielded ≥49 individuals, most from primary and some from secondary interments, challenging earlier interpretations. Here we describe the mortuary cavities, and burial contexts, and included items such as adornments from Lothagam North, Lothagam West, Manemanya, and Kalokol pillar sites. In doing so, we reassess previous hypotheses regarding pillar site construction, use, and inter-site variability. We also present the first osteological analyses of skeletons buried at these sites. Although the human remains are fragmentary, they are nevertheless informative about the sex, age, and body size of the deceased and give evidence for health and disease processes. Periosteal moulds of long bone midshafts (n = 34 elements) suggest patterns of terrestrial mobility. Pillar site deposits provide important new insights into early herder lifeways in eastern Africa and the impact of the transition to pastoralism on past human populations.
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Sobania, Neal. "Fishermen Herders: Subsistence, Survival and Cultural Change in Northern Kenya." Journal of African History 29, no. 1 (1988): 41–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0021853700035982.
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This article examines the unique role played by fishing, hunting and gathering groups in the survival strategy of the pastoralist societies in whose midst they live. During periods of extreme adversity, these groups acted as a refuge for destitute herdsmen and their households by absorbing population in periods of hardship and releasing individuals back into pastoralism when conditions once again allowed the accumulation of stock. Extensive quotations from the historical traditions of the peoples of the Lake Turkana region of northern Kenya are used to detail the recent history of two such fishing communities, the Elmolo and the Dies, the latter being a fishing group within Dasenech society. The epizootics that decimated the cattle herds of East Africa at the end of the nineteenth century are background for examining the interactions of the Elmolo and Dies with their pastoralist neighbours, the Samburu and Rendille, and the cultural changes initiated during this period. The subsequent changes inaugurated by the imposition of colonial rule are documented and the Elmolo are shown to be a ‘dying tribe’ in the sense that the traditional cultural features of their society are giving way to a more pastoral existence based on that of their herding neighbours.
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Osmond, Thomas. "Competing Muslim legacies along city/countryside dichotomies: another political history of Harar Town and its Oromo rural neighbours in Eastern Ethiopia." Journal of Modern African Studies 52, no. 1 (2014): 1–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022278x13000803.
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ABSTRACTBetween the Middle East and Eastern Africa, the city of Harar is often considered as the main historical centre of Islam in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. Until recently, the cultural hegemony of the Muslim elites inhabiting Harar was commonly opposed to the almost pagan behaviours of the Oromo – or ‘Galla’ – farmers and cattle herders living in the wide rural vicinity of the town. The 1995 Constitution provided the different ‘ethnolinguistic nationalities’ of the new Ethiopian federation with the same institutional recognition. However, the institutionalisation of the two Harari and Oromo ‘nationalities’ seems to foster the historical duality between the city-dwellers and their close neighbours. This article proposes another political history of Harar and its ambivalent Oromo partners through the local dynamics of the Muslim city/countryside models. It reveals the both competing and complementary orders that have probably bound together the populations of Harar and its rural hinterland for more than five hundred years.
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Little, Peter D., Kevin Smith, Barbara A. Cellarius, D. Layne Coppock, and Christopher Barrett. "Avoiding Disaster: Diversification and Risk Management among East African Herders." Development and Change 32, no. 3 (2001): 401–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-7660.00211.
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Sidorovskaya, M. V., S. N. Fomina, and S. R. Kremenchugskaya. "Analysis of SAT-1, -2, -3 FMD outbreaks in Africa in 2017–2019." Veterinary Science Today, no. 2 (July 1, 2021): 113–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.29326/2304-196x-2021-2-37-113-120.
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Data on FMD spread in Africa in 2017–2019 provided by the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) and World Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (WRLFMD) were analyzed with the emphasis on the current epidemic situation in Northern Africa, and the analysis results are demonstrated as well. Brief historical information on SAT-1, -2, -3 FMDV recovery in Africa is presented. Diagnostic test results demonstrate that the abovementioned virus serotypes are circulating in the Southern, East and West African countries. However, there are reports on detection of SAT-1 FMDV in the Near East (1961–1965 and 1970) and SAT-2 FMDV in Saudi Arabia (2000), Lebanon (2003), Bahrain, Egypt and Lebanon (2012). Infection of cattle with SAT-1, -2, -3 FMDV in Southern and East Africa is associated with the contacts between the domestic livestock and wild cloven-hoofed ungulates, specifically with African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer). FMDV persists in buffaloes for up to 4–5 years and in buffalo herds living within the limited area of the national reserves – for up to 24 years. Buffaloes are considered to be natural reservoir of the virus. The basic disease control measure in Africa is prevention of any contacts between FMD susceptible livestock and buffaloes in the national reserves and game sanctuaries. Moreover, crucial component of FMD prevention is vaccination of bovines kept in buffer zones around the wild cloven-hoofed ungulates’ habitats against the virus serotypes spread by the latter. Foot-and-mouth disease remains one of the most economically significant infections in the world and it involves losses due to the decrease of the agricultural production as well as due to the international trade restrictions.
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Kandeil, Gomaa, Nageh, et al. "Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Dromedary Camels in Africa and Middle East." Viruses 11, no. 8 (2019): 717. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v11080717.
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: Dromedary camels are the natural reservoirs of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Camels are mostly bred in East African countries then exported into Africa and Middle East for consumption. To understand the distribution of MERS-CoV among camels in North Africa and the Middle East, we conducted surveillance in Egypt, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. We also performed longitudinal studies of three camel herds in Egypt and Jordan to elucidate MERS-CoV infection and transmission. Between 2016 and 2018, a total of 4027 nasal swabs and 3267 serum samples were collected from all countries. Real- time PCR revealed that MERS-CoV RNA was detected in nasal swab samples from Egypt, Senegal, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. Microneutralization assay showed that antibodies were detected in all countries. Positive PCR samples were partially sequenced, and a phylogenetic tree was built. The tree suggested that all sequences are of clade C and sequences from camels in Egypt formed a separate group from previously published sequences. Longitudinal studies showed high seroprevalence in adult camels. These results indicate the widespread distribution of the virus in camels. A systematic active surveillance and longitudinal studies for MERS-CoV are needed to understand the epidemiology of the disease and dynamics of viral infection.
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Galaty, John G. "Gufu Oba, Herder Warfare in East Africa: A Social and Spatial History." Nomadic Peoples 22, no. 1 (2018): 177–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.3197/np.2018.220111.
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Afolabi, Kayode O., Benson C. Iweriebor, Anthony I. Okoh, and Larry C. Obi. "Global Status ofPorcine circovirusType 2 and Its Associated Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa." Advances in Virology 2017 (2017): 1–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/6807964.
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Globally,Porcine circovirustype 2 (PCV2) is a recognized viral pathogen of great economic value in pig farming. It is the major cause of ravaging postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) and many other disease syndromes generally regarded asPorcine circovirusassociated diseases (PCVAD) in Europe. PCV2 infections, specifically PMWS, had impacted huge economic loss on swine production at different regions of the world. It has been studied and reported at different parts of the globe including: North and South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Middle East, and the Caribbean. However, till date, this virus and its associated diseases have been grossly understudied in sub-Sahara African region and the entire continent at large. Two out of forty-nine, representing just about 4% of countries that make up sub-Sahara Africa presently, have limited records on reported cases and occurrence of the viral pathogen despite the ubiquitous nature of the virus. This review presents an overview of the discovery ofPorcine circovirusand its associated diseases in global pig herds and emphasizes the latest trends in PCV2 vaccines and antiviral drugs development and the information gaps that exist on the occurrence of this important viral pathogen in swine herds of sub-Saharan Africa countries. This will serve as wake-up call for immediate and relevant actions by stakeholders in the region.
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Galvin, Kathleen A., Philip K. Thornton, Randall B. Boone, and Jennifer Sunderland. "Climate variability and impacts on east African livestock herders: the Maasai of Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania." African Journal of Range & Forage Science 21, no. 3 (2004): 183–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.2989/10220110409485850.
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Spencer, Paul. "Gauging inequality among pastoralists." Focaal 2005, no. 45 (2005): 46–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.3167/092012905780909261.
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Poverty is a relative concept that is most meaningful within the context of social inequality in a particular culture. Among pastoralists in east Africa, often with mixed economies and herds that tend to fluctuate erratically over time, the problem of assessing poverty and wealth can be resolved by examining profiles of polygyny to provide a comparable index of wealth. Several profiles are examined in relation to a mathematical model based on the binomial series, with an emphasis on its social rather than mathematical implications. These series are especially apt because they closely follow the distribution of wives in a substantial sample of African societies, and they reveal different types of balances between competition and conformity associated with age and with status. The purpose of this essay is to redefine the problem of poverty in terms of the social profiles of inequality, leading toward a comparative analysis between cultures.
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O’Bannon, Brett R. "‘Monitoring the Frog’ in Africa: Conflict Early Warning with Structural Data." Global Responsibility to Protect 4, no. 4 (2012): 449–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1875984x-00404004.
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There is in both the theory and practice of early warning a clear preference for tracking and analysing proximate or immediate causes of conflict, sometimes referred to as ‘triggers’ or ‘accelerators’, over factors that might generate earlier warnings, such as shifts in deep-rooted, structural determinants of conflict. This preference reflects common assumptions made about the nature of structural factors (viz. that they are static and/or too indirectly linked to outcomes) and the relative ease with which less deeply rooted factors may be monitored. I suggest that structural factors are indeed variables, the value of which can be indirectly assessed with proxy indicators. Adopting a method from conservation biology, the monitoring of a ‘species’ of conflict (low intensity herder-farmer conflict), allows one to assess how well society is bearing political, economic, environmental and cultural stress. Normally considered too difficult to track in their own right for use as data in early warning systems, monitoring patterns in herder-farmer relations allows the observer to tap into otherwise inaccessible structural data that can be useful in anticipating the onset of wider-scale conflict.
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Jones, Bryony A., Mana Mahapatra, Daniel Mdetele, et al. "Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus Infection at the Wildlife–Livestock Interface in the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem, 2015–2019." Viruses 13, no. 5 (2021): 838. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v13050838.
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Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease of goats and sheep that occurs in Africa, the Middle East and Asia with a severe impact on livelihoods and livestock trade. Many wild artiodactyls are susceptible to PPR virus (PPRV) infection, and some outbreaks have threatened endangered wild populations. The role of wild species in PPRV epidemiology is unclear, which is a knowledge gap for the Global Strategy for the Control and Eradication of PPR. These studies aimed to investigate PPRV infection in wild artiodactyls in the Greater Serengeti and Amboseli ecosystems of Kenya and Tanzania. Out of 132 animals purposively sampled in 2015–2016, 19.7% were PPRV seropositive by ID Screen PPR competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA; IDvet, France) from the following species: African buffalo, wildebeest, topi, kongoni, Grant’s gazelle, impala, Thomson’s gazelle, warthog and gerenuk, while waterbuck and lesser kudu were seronegative. In 2018–2019, a cross-sectional survey of randomly selected African buffalo and Grant’s gazelle herds was conducted. The weighted estimate of PPRV seroprevalence was 12.0% out of 191 African buffalo and 1.1% out of 139 Grant’s gazelles. All ocular and nasal swabs and faeces were negative by PPRV real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Investigations of a PPR-like disease in sheep and goats confirmed PPRV circulation in the area by rapid detection test and/or RT-qPCR. These results demonstrated serological evidence of PPRV infection in wild artiodactyl species at the wildlife–livestock interface in this ecosystem where PPRV is endemic in domestic small ruminants. Exposure to PPRV could be via spillover from infected small ruminants or from transmission between wild animals, while the relatively low seroprevalence suggests that sustained transmission is unlikely. Further studies of other major wild artiodactyls in this ecosystem are required, such as impala, Thomson’s gazelle and wildebeest.
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Jaishi, Pushpa Raj. "Critiquing Anthropocentrism in Henry Ole Kulet’s Vanishing Herds." Contemporary Research: An Interdisciplinary Academic Journal 3, no. 1 (2019): 52–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/craiaj.v3i1.27490.
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Vanishing Herds (2011) is Henry Ole Kulet’s novel that hovers around the ecological depletion caused by the anthropocentric attitude of the human beings. Set in the East African Savannah, the novel grapples with the critical issue of anthropogenic environmental degradation. The novel is based on the tribulations of a young Maasai couple –Kedoki and Norpisia whose epic journey through the wilderness provides a window through which the destruction of the physical environment can be viewed. Additionally, the text catalogues the challenges faced by a pastoralist community’s attempt to come to terms with the socio-economic realities of a fast-evolving contemporary society. The paper is an attempt to study this novel under the surveillance of green lens and throw light on the ecological destruction especially the clearing of the forest by human self centered endeavors and to critique the anthropocentric attitude of the human beings that render the environment at the verge of destruction.
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Mwacharo, J. M., and J. E. O. Rege. "On-farm characterization of the indigenous small East African Shorthorn Zebu cattle (SEAZ) in the Southeast rangelands of Kenya." Animal Genetic Resources Information 32 (April 2002): 73–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1014233900001577.
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SummaryThe small East African short horned Zebu (SEAZ) is an important source of animal protein in Kenya. This indigenous genotype is well adapted to environmental stresses including endemic diseases of the tropics. However, literature available on its genetic potential is scarce. The Government of Kenya, in order to study this valuable germplasm in a systematic manner, has recently initiated some research and breed improvement programmes. This paper reports on some of the results of this work. Information was obtained-using a structured questionnaire administered to 430 farmers in Makueni, Kitui, Taita Taveta and Kajiado districts, Kenya. A multi-level stratified sampling technique was used to select the farmers to be interviewed. Utilization and reasons for preference of SEAZ cattle differed across and within districts in rankings. Generally, the SEAZ cattle are kept as multi-purpose animals and were mainly preferred to the exotic breeds due to their superior adaptive capacity to the local environmental stresses. Herd structures differed between the agro-pastoral and pastoral herds, but showed a management system that is subsistence oriented with milk production and draught power being the main objectives of herd owners. Breeding bulls were sourced from within or obtained from other herds for pure- or crossbreeding by natural, uncontrolled mating. Natural pastures, under continuous grazing were the main source of livestock feeds. The herds surveyed had advanced ages at first calving and prolonged calving intervals. The average milk production per day was 1.6 litres with significant differences being observed between districts, and hence Zebu strains, at the start and peak of lactation.
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Sitters, Judith, Ignas M. A. Heitkönig, Milena Holmgren, and Gordon S. O. Ojwang’. "Herded cattle and wild grazers partition water but share forage resources during dry years in East African savannas." Biological Conservation 142, no. 4 (2009): 738–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2008.12.001.
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Ahmed, Ayman, Iman Mahmoud, Mawahib Eldigail, Rehab M. Elhassan, and Scott C. Weaver. "The Emergence of Rift Valley Fever in Gedaref State Urges the Need for a Cross-Border One Health Strategy and Enforcement of the International Health Regulations." Pathogens 10, no. 7 (2021): 885. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10070885.
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This study investigated the causative agent of a haemorrhagic fever epidemic in Gedaref state, south-east Sudan. Six cases of febrile illness with haemorrhagic manifestations presented at outpatient health-clinics. Blood samples were collected from the patients and shipped to Khartoum where they were tested for dengue virus (DENV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) using real-time qPCR. Fifty percent (3/6) of them tested positive for RVFV and neither DENV or CHIKV was detected. All patients were males between 20 and 48 years old who had no history of recent travel. This finding describes the first emergence of RVFV in Gedaref state. Considering that the state hosts a major market of livestock, and it has one of the largest-seasonal open pastures in the country that is usually flooded with herds from the neighbouring states and countries during the rainy season, this emergence could represent a major threat to public health in the region and countries importing animals and/or animal products from east Africa. Therefore, we urge the policymakers of the health and animal resources sectors to implement a one health strategy with a well-established early warning surveillance and response system to prevent the establishment of the disease in the area.
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Fleisher, Michael L. "‘War is Good for Thieving!’ The Symbiosis of Crime and Warfare Among the Kuria of Tanzania." Africa 72, no. 1 (2002): 131–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/afr.2002.72.1.131.
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AbstractAmong the agro-pastoral Kuria people of East Africa, whose population straddles the border between Tanzania and Kenya, many young men are engaged in an illicit, violent livestock trade in which cattle stolen in Tanzania are sold to Tanzanian or Kenyan buyers for cash. This raiding is inextricably bound up with the phenomenon of warfare between mutually antagonistic Kuria clans, which not only serves to legitimise raids on the enemy's cattle herds so long as the fighting rages but which also fosters and sustains an atmosphere of inter-clan enmity that lends support to cattle raiding, particularly on the herds of former adversaries, even after hostilities have ended. Clan warfare emerges as both a cause and an effect of raiding as well as serving as a training ground for novice raiders. On the basis of field research in the Tarime District lowlands, the article argues that although Kuria cattle raiding, oriented to the cash market, owes its existence to capitalist penetration and is driven by the rising demand for cattle, particularly in Kenya, it remains heavily dependent on inter-clan warfare, which has two main causes: animosity engendered by commercialised cattle raiding, and boundary adjustments initiated by the government, either for administrative reasons or, paradoxically, in an effort to resolve existing disputes over access to pasture, grazing and water.
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Dzogbema, Koffi Francois-Xavier, Essodina Talaki, Komlan B. Batawui, and Balabadi B. Dao. "Review on Newcastle disease in poultry." International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences 15, no. 2 (2021): 773–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ijbcs.v15i2.29.
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Newcastle disease is an infectious disease of poultry caused by an avian Paramyxovirus type I that affects more than two hundred avian species. It is an enzootic disease in parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and some countries in South America. Isolated outbreaks of Newcastle disease occur sporadically in some European countries and Central America. This review synthesizes available information on the virus and the disease it causes. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with infected animals or by indirect contact through inanimate carriers. The incubation period of the disease varied from 2 to 15 days. Five pathotypes were distinguished according to the incidence and severity of the clinical signs. Velogenic strains, which are the most virulent, can cause 100% mortality in unprotected herds. Control measures are based on mass vaccination of susceptible animals and the application of biosecurity measures in poultry farms. Regulations are also put in place to prevent the introduction of the virus into countries free of the disease.Keywords: Poultry, paramyxovirus, Newcastle disease, panzootie, mortality.
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Nembilwi, Ndamulelo, Hector Chikoore, Edmore Kori, Rendani B. Munyai, and Tshilidzi C. Manyanya. "The Occurrence of Drought in Mopani District Municipality, South Africa: Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation." Climate 9, no. 4 (2021): 61. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cli9040061.
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Mopani District Municipality in the northeast of South Africa is largely semi-arid and frequently affected by meteorological droughts. The recent 2015/16 event had devastating impacts on water levels, crop yields, livestock herds and rural livelihoods. We investigated the nature of the drought hazard; its impacts, including vulnerability of rural communities in Mopani District and adaptation strategies they have employed to cope with drought. A mixed methods approach with both quantitative and qualitative datasets was used. The district was divided into two distinct climatic areas: the drier eastern lowveld and the wetter western bushveld. Questionnaires were administered among community members whilst key informant interviews were conducted among relevant government and municipal officials. Climate data was used to characterize historical drought using a Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index whilst vegetation anomaly maps were used to demonstrate impacts. Spatially distinct patterns of drought conditions were evident with harsh and dry conditions towards the east. It was found that nearly half the time there is some form of drought or another in the district mostly linked to the remote El Nino phenomenon. In several areas, rain-fed agriculture is no longer tenable, with a direct impact on rural livelihoods. A Household Vulnerability Index determined variable levels of vulnerability such that different strategies are employed to adapt to drought some of which cause environmental problems. Local government intervention strategies include supply of seeds and fertilisers, providing cheap fodder and supplying water using trucks. The findings of this study contribute to disaster risk reduction efforts in a region that is highly vulnerable to current and future climate-risks.
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Ilatsia, E. D., R. Roessler, A. K. Kahi, H. P. Piepho, and A. Valle Zárate. "Evaluation of basic and alternative breeding programs for Sahiwal cattle genetic resources in Kenya." Animal Production Science 51, no. 8 (2011): 682. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/an11056.
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The Sahiwal cattle breeding program in Kenya has been operational on an interim basis for over 45 years. However, there have been no systematic efforts undertaken to evaluate its suitability, or to examine how competitive it is compared with other alternative programs in terms of genetic and economic merit. The objective of this study was therefore to evaluate the genetic and economic success of the current basic and alternative Sahiwal cattle breeding programs in Kenya. The breeding programs examined were the current closed nucleus with two breeding strategies: a purebreeding (CNPURE) and a crossbreeding system (CNCROSS) involving Sahiwal sires and East African Zebu dams. An open nucleus with a certain proportion of pastoral-born Sahiwal bulls introduced into the nucleus herds to produce cows was simulated as an alternative breeding program. In this program only a purebreeding strategy (ONPURE) was considered. The breeding strategies were evaluated under two breeding objective scenarios that addressed traditional markets where animals are sold on body size/weight basis and the Kenya Meat Commission where payment is based on carcass characteristics. Sensitivity analyses to changes in nucleus size and gene contribution were also performed. The annual monetary genetic gain and profit per cow for all investigated breeding programs varied within breeding objectives. Closed nucleus purebreeding program was the most attractive economically but less competitive in regard to genetic superiority compared with either CNCROSS or ONPURE. Returns and profits were generally higher for the carcass characteristic basis compared with the body size/weight basis for all evaluated breeding strategies. Expansion of the nucleus size was not attractive because of the associated reduction in genetic and economic benefits. However, gradual importation of pastoral-born sires into the nucleus farms at the current nucleus proportion of 14% was both genetically and economically beneficial. The CNCROSS plays a complimentary role of facilitating the exploitation of trade-offs that exist between the Sahiwal and the locally better adapted East African Zebu, it also represents an intermediate phase in the on-going upgrading program.
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Waller, Richard. "Gufu Oba. Herder Warfare in East Africa: A Social and Spatial History. Winwick: The White Horse Press. 2017. x + 357 pp. No price given. Cloth. ISBN: 978-1-874267-96-6." African Studies Review 61, no. 1 (2018): 268–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/asr.2017.151.
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Kabi, F., C. Masembe, R. Negrini, and V. Muwanika. "Patterns of indigenous female cattle morphometric traits variations in Uganda: Evidence for farmers’ selection to enhance agro-ecological fitness." Animal Genetic Resources/Ressources génétiques animales/Recursos genéticos animales 56 (February 2, 2015): 79–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2078633614000551.
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SummaryGlobally, rural cattle keeping communities actively select and breed indigenous cattle to satisfy their interests and enhance adaptation to local landscapes. This study investigated how traditional systems in Uganda have shaped the morphometric population structure of indigenous cattle breeds. Ten linear morphometric traits were interrogated amongst 801 female cattle, comprising 46 Nganda (Bos indicus), 368 Ankole (B. taurus indicus) and 387 East African shorthorn zebu (EASZ,B. indicus). The study cattle were obtained evenly at random from 209 herds in their agro-ecological zones (AEZs) where they have been nurtured by traditional cattle keeping communities throughout Uganda. Age, AEZs and breed significantly influenced the variation of linear morphometric traits exhibiting a gradient of low, intermediate and high dimensions among the EASZ, Nganda and Ankole cattle, respectively. Likewise, the linear morphometric trait (Mahalanobis squared distance) diversity was significantly different exhibiting a gradient of low, intermediate and high variation between Nganda and EASZ, Ankole and Nganda, and Ankole and EASZ cattle, respectively. These findings demonstrate the role of agro-ecological fitness in the evolution of indigenous cattle morphometric population structure in Uganda. The study outcomes further provide a motivation to search for genes associated with the diverse morphometric features.
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Joshi, B. K., A. Singh, and R. S. Gandhi. "Performance evaluation, conservation and improvement of Sahiwal cattle in India." Animal Genetic Resources Information 31 (April 2001): 43–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1014233900001474.
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SummaryThe Sahiwal cattle, one of the best dairy breeds of Zebu cattle in India and Pakistan, originate from the Montgomery district of Pakistan and is distributed on farmer herds in certain pockets of the bordering districts of Punjab and Rajsthan in India. The animals of this breed are also available in Kenya and are used for crossing with local East African Zebu types to improve milk production. Sahiwal cattle have deep body, loose skin, short legs, stumpy horns and a broad head with pale red to dark brown body colour. The average body weight in adult females and males is around 350 and 500 kg, respectively. The animals of this breed are maintained on various State and Central Government farms, privately owned farms, charitable trusts and a small proportion of animals are also available with the farmers. More than 1 200 breedable females are available at various farms in the country. The average lactation milk yield of Sahiwal cattle on organized farms ranges between 1 500 to 2 500 kg. However, in well-managed herds, the highest lactation milk production in certain cows is more than 4 500 kg. The overall weighted average milk yield, age at first calving, lactation length and calving interval based on the performance at various herds is around 1 900 kg, 36 months, 315 days and 420 days, respectively. The fat and Solid Non Fat (SNF) percent ranges from 4.6 to 5.2 percent and 8.9 to 9.3 percent, respectively. Quite a large proportion of pure-bred Sahiwal cattle maintained on organized breeding farms has been used for the production of cross-bred cattle. As a result, different cross-bred strains of dairy cattle viz Karan Swiss, Karan Fries and Frieswal have evolved at the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal and Military Dairy Farms. The breed has also been utilized for the production of synthetic strains like Jamaica Hope (JH), Australian Milking Zebu (AMZ) and Australian Friesian Sahiwal (AFS) in other countries. Currently, efforts are being made to characterize, evaluate and conserve the breed in field conditions. More than 0.10 million doses of frozen semen of this breed are cryopreserved at various semen banks in the country. The frozen semen is being utilized for strengthening and genetically improving the existing herds of the breed through progeny testing programmes of sires associating various herds of Sahiwal in the country.
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/, ASSANA /. "Indigenous Peoples and the Singular Socio-Political Trajectory of the Mbororo in Ngaoui Subdivision (Cameroon)." Journal of Public Administration and Governance 11, no. 1 (2021): 177. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jpag.v11i1.18017.
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This study concerns the Mbororo of Ngaoui Sub-division (Cameroon). And for some good reasons: unlike those of Chad, Central African Republic (CAR) or certain regions of Cameroon such as the West, the Far North, the North and the East, where they constitute a vulnerable, dominated and marginalized group, the Mbororo of Ngaoui have succeeded in establishing themselves as a dominant group. This is due to their sedentarization caused by the boom in the cattle market, and accelerated by cross-border crimes in the 1970s. This sedentarization takes place through the diversification of their economic activities, openness to Christianity and access to health and educational infrastructures on one hand, and the relative possession of traditional power and above all, their central position in local politics on the other hand. By relying on the theory of the coloniality of power and empirical data collected in the localities where the Mbororos are highly established and their herds which are Djohong and Ngaoui. This contribution aims at analysing the singular socio-political trajectory of this Fulani fraction which does not respond to the definitional and identifying criteria enshrined in the international and Cameroonian conceptions, which makes them, indigenous, marginal and vulnerable populations respectively.
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Waller, Richard D. "Tsetse fly in Western Narok, Kenya." Journal of African History 31, no. 1 (1990): 81–101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0021853700024798.
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This article studies the expansion of tsetse fly in one part of Kenya Maasailand between 1900 and 1950. It follows the lines of investigation first suggested by Ford's work and examines in detail the interaction between changes in four elements in the Mara ecosystem: climate, vegetation, land use and tsetse. Tsetse was able to expand because its habitat expanded and the spread of bush and fly into the grasslands both caused, and was facilitated by, shifts in patterns of Maasai grazing and occupation in the area. Up to the 1890s, the Mara Plains were regularly grazed by Maasai herds; but the general depopulation of Maasailand in the aftermath of the rinderpest pandemic and civil war left the region vacant until after 1900 and allowed the spread of bush cover which was then colonised by tsetse. When Maasai returned, they altered their grazing patterns to avoid such areas. However, the progressive encroachment of tsetse-infested bush continued and was not halted until bush-clearing schemes and closer grazing forced the fly to retreat by destroying its habitat. The study is set within the wider context of ecological change and capitalist development in East Africa and suggests that the common assumption that colonial capitalism was responsible for the disruption of the ecosystem and, therefore, for the spread of disease and environmmental degradation needs careful re-examination in the light of a more sophisticated understanding of the processes of ecological change.
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NIEDBALSKI, WIESŁAW. "Occurrence of peste des petits ruminants and its increasing threat to Europe." Medycyna Weterynaryjna 75, no. 02 (2019): 6209–2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.21521/mw.6209.
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Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious disease of small ruminants that leads to high morbidity and mortality, and thereby results in devastating economic consequences to the livestock industry. It is caused by the PPR virus (PPRV), which belongs to the genus Morbilivirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. PPR was first recorded in early 1942 in Ivory Coast, West Africa. In the following years, the disease extended its distribution to other parts of the world and now circulates throughout Northern, Eastern and West Africa, as well as Asia – in particular, China, Central Asia, Eurasia, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. The molecular epidemiology of PPRV, based on the sequence comparison of a small region of either the N or the F gene, has revealed the existence of four distinct lineages (I-IV) of the virus. Until June 2018, PPR had never been detected in Europe, with the exception of the European part of Turkish Thrace. However, on 24th June 2018 the Bulgarian authorities reported cases of PPR in sheep in the village of Voden, Bolyarovo municipality of Yambol region, on the border with the Thrace region of Turkey. It was the first occurrence of PPR in Bulgaria and in the European Union (EU). The source of PPR infection in Bulgaria is not clear, it could have been the illegal movement of animals, contaminated materials or humans, e.g. refuges. Due to the increased risk of introduction of PPR from North Africa and Turkey to neighbouring regions, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recently published a report assessing the risk of PPR spreading in Europe. According to a scientific opinion by the EFSA, the spread of PPRV in the territory of the UE could occur by the illegal transport of infected animals or infected animal products. In order to limit the spread and impact of PPR outbreaks in Europe, rapid detection, movement restriction, prompt culling of infected herds and disinfection measures should be introduced immediately. The control and eventual eradication of PPR is now one of the top priorities for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). In 2015, the international community agreed on a global strategy for PPR eradication, setting 2030 as a target date for elimination of the disease.
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ALBAYRAK, HARUN, EMRE OZAN, HAMZA KADI, ABDULLAH CAVUNT, CUNEYT TAMER, and MEHMET TUTUNCU. "Molecular detection and seasonal distribution of lumpy skin disease virus in cattle breeds in Turkey." Medycyna Weterynaryjna 74, no. 3 (2018): 175–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.21521/mw.6081.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and distribution patterns of LSDV infections in the provinces of northern Turkey, and to detect the factors influencing the epidemiology of LSD virus infections (age, breed, season, climate, geography, population dynamic, animal movement), as well as to assess the diagnostic value of the sampled materials in the diagnosis of LSDV infections. Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an economically important cattle disease. The disease is endemic in many African countries, but outbreaks have also been reported in Turkey and the Middle East. In this study, a total of 564 samples (skin, blood and lung) from different cattle breeds (Jersey, Holstein-Friesian, Anatolian Black, Simmental and Brown Swiss) (n=465) in the many herds suspected of lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) infection as clinically and macroscopic pathologic remarks, housed in the 7 different provinces of northern Turkey, were used for gel based conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). LSDV nucleic acid was detected in 259 of 564 (45.92%) materials by PCR. According to the result of PCR, the LSDV infection was diagnosed in 54.62% (254/465) of the sampled animals. The diagnostic value of necropsy and clinical materials such as skin and lung were determined as more valuable diagnostic materials in the diagnosis of LSDV infection by PCR. Data showed that LSDV infection was widespread in the provinces of northern Turkey and that the prevalence of the infection in the region varies in accordance with factors such as geographical conditions (climate, season, location etc.) and the method of breeding. .
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Prunier, Gérard. "A propos du nord-ouest du Kenya [Spear (Thomas) et Waller (Richard) (eds) : Being Maasai. Ethnicity and Identity in East Africa ; Lamphear (John) : The scattering time. Turkana Responses to Colonial Rule ; Little (Peter D.) : The Elusive Granary. Herder, Former and State in Northern Kenya]." Revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer 83, no. 310 (1996): 105–6. http://dx.doi.org/10.3406/outre.1996.3404.
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HARY, I. "The impact of controlled breeding on milk production in pastoral goats in northern Kenya: an application of polynomial growth curve fitting." Journal of Agricultural Science 140, no. 3 (2003): 357–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0021859603002995.
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The paper investigates the effect of controlled seasonal breeding on milk production in a herd of Small East African (SEA) goats. Polynomial growth curve models were fitted to both daily and cumulative milk yield data obtained from an experiment conducted over a period of 4 years (1984–88) under simulated pastoral herd management in Isiolo District, northern Kenya. The experimental treatment consisted of six different mating seasons per year, which were replicated three times over the course of the experiment.Milk yields in the first 2 weeks of lactation were negatively affected (<400 g/day) when kidding took place between June and September, whereas maximum initial yields of about 450 to 550 g/day were achieved at the onset and during the long rainy season. Multiple peaks in milk yield curves were observed when a rainy season occurred after about the first half of the lactation period. In terms of total amount of milk produced until 28 weeks of lactation, the production system could benefit from the introduction of a restricted breeding management allowing does to be bred in the period from June to November, with total milk yields being estimated at approximately 60 kg of milk. Maximum milk production until weaning can be expected to be achieved by does mated between October and January (between 46 and 48 kg of milk). The present experiment has revealed that mating just prior to or during the long rainy season leads to low milk yields until weaning and significantly increases the incidence of early kid deaths.It is concluded that evaluating milk production in goat herds exposed to strong seasonal changes in forage supply is perhaps best carried out in terms of cumulative milk yields, instead of average daily yields, which are subject to large fluctuations. Furthermore, under these conditions fitting polynomial growth curves to longitudinal milk yield data using the general linear mixed model appears to be more appropriate than the estimation of non-linear algebraic lactation curves.
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Maksym, V., V. Chemerys, V. Dushka, and Y. Berezivskyi. "The main trends and perspectives of pork production development in the world." Scientific Messenger of LNU of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies 22, no. 96 (2020): 21–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.32718/nvlvet-e9604.
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The pig breeding behaves to the most more widespread directions of stock-raising in the world, which forms considerable part in balance of meat and meat products in many countries. The level of pork production and industry development volumes on the whole substantially influences on world food security. In the article the presented results of research are in relation to consisting and basic tendencies of pork production in the world and in the separate countries where the pig breeding is most developed. Conducted analysis of hog herds dynamics production and pork volumes in the world, and also basic factors which substantially influenced on development of the pig breeding for probed period are set. Certainly structural influence of most producers of pork is in the world on the indexes of industry development. Investigational the stance of pork production, and also conducted analysis of standard purchase prices, is on pigs in different countries in the world. Presented information in relation to the structure of pork export and import in the world and in the separate countries which most influence on pork market development. Positions and influence of Ukraine are appraised at the international market of pork. The basic prospects of pork production development are set and grounded in the world and in the separate countries, in particular in Ukraine. The production of pork in the world during 2017–2019 years decrease on 8.1 %, and the pigs herd dynamic diminished on 13 %. A sharp downstream of pork herd is in the world connected with spread of dangerous infectious diseases of zoon’s, which the African swine fewer, which resulted in considerable reduction of herd and meat production particular in China on which was nearly 40 % in world production. However, compensated a downstream in countries South-East Asia in a greater measure of industry development of the pig breeding in the USA, Brazil and EU, which behave to the basic exporters of pork in the world, which is form about 85 % of global products export. One with positive factors, which in the future will assist the pig breeding development in the world there is gradual growth of pork production and consumption in the developing countries, where an increase of herd, and also increase the technological efficiency of swine growing. The considerable not realized potential of the pig breeding industry in many countries, in particular in Ukraine, which is one of most in the world producers and exporters of feed crops, necessary for industry development.
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Schlecht, Eva, Matthew D. Turner, Christian G. Hülsebusch, and Andreas Buerkert. "Managing Rangelands Without Herding? Insights From Africa and Beyond." Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 4 (December 11, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.549954.
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In many parts of the world, the utilization of rangelands is based on the targeted movement of herds within and across often vast territories. Crucial for the success of these livestock operations are decisions on how to flexibly allocate animals to the existing vegetation, both in terms of numbers and concentrations, and in space and time. Research from large scale ranching in the prairies of the Americas, and nomadic or transhumant livestock systems in Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, suggests that the more precisely specific patches of vegetation at a specific development stage can be targeted, the more beneficial will be the outcome in terms of animal nutrition and productivity. This also holds for the provision of environmental services such as aboveground net primary production, biodiversity preservation, and soil fertility. However, herding requires year-round labor investment, and in rural areas where seasonal migration is an important livelihood strategy, herding may suffer from absence of skilled workforce. Additional obstacles are political neglect and land use competition, insecurity, reduced self-ownership rates of herds, partial social isolation of herders, and hardship of the work. These make herding an increasingly unpopular occupation, especially for the young generation, but there are also factors that drive (young) people to take up or continue this profession. Reduced herding efforts, reflected in the reluctance to utilize remote grazing areas, may lead to overstocking of favorable pastures. This increases the risk of pasture degradation, long-term reduced herd productivity, social conflict, and public criticism of pastoralism as an anachronistic lifestyle and detrimental land stewardship, thereby further fueling the erosion of herding. By reviewing studies from Africa, the Middle East, and southern and eastern Asia, and including some insights from Europe and southern America, we discuss the ecosystem services produced by herding and herd mobility, and reflect on the ecological and social consequences of the loss of herding labor. Highlighting aspects that speak for this occupation at the individual level, we conclude by suggesting interventions that may sustain the herding profession, such as facilitation of labor sharing, labor contracts, improved herder security, and societal payments for ecological and cultural services.
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Abbad, Anass, Ranawaka APM Perera, Latifa Anga, et al. "Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) neutralising antibodies in a high-risk human population, Morocco, November 2017 to January 2018." Eurosurveillance 24, no. 48 (2019). http://dx.doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.es.2019.24.48.1900244.
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Background Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) remains a major concern for global public health. Dromedaries are the source of human zoonotic infection. MERS-CoV is enzootic among dromedaries on the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East and in Africa. Over 70% of infected dromedaries are found in Africa. However, all known zoonotic cases of MERS have occurred in the Arabian Peninsula with none being reported in Africa. Aim We aimed to investigate serological evidence of MERS-CoV infection in humans living in camel-herding areas in Morocco to provide insights on whether zoonotic transmission is taking place. Methods We carried out a cross sectional seroprevalence study from November 2017 through January 2018. We adapted a generic World Health Organization MERS-CoV questionnaire and protocol to assess demographic and risk factors of infection among a presumed high-risk population. ELISA, MERS-CoV spike pseudoparticle neutralisation tests (ppNT) and plaque neutralisation tests (PRNT) were used to assess MERS-CoV seropositivity. Results Serum samples were collected from camel slaughterhouse workers (n = 137), camel herders (n = 156) and individuals of the general population without occupational contact with camels but living in camel herding areas (n = 186). MERS-CoV neutralising antibodies with ≥ 90% reduction of plaque numbers were detected in two (1.5%) slaughterhouse workers, none of the camel herders and one individual from the general population (0.5%). Conclusions This study provides evidence of zoonotic transmission of MERS-CoV in Morocco in people who have direct or indirect exposure to dromedary camels.
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Ekwem, Divine, Thomas A. Morrison, Richard Reeve, et al. "Livestock movement informs the risk of disease spread in traditional production systems in East Africa." Scientific Reports 11, no. 1 (2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95706-z.
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AbstractIn Africa, livestock are important to local and national economies, but their productivity is constrained by infectious diseases. Comprehensive information on livestock movements and contacts is required to devise appropriate disease control strategies; yet, understanding contact risk in systems where herds mix extensively, and where different pathogens can be transmitted at different spatial and temporal scales, remains a major challenge. We deployed Global Positioning System collars on cattle in 52 herds in a traditional agropastoral system in western Serengeti, Tanzania, to understand fine-scale movements and between-herd contacts, and to identify locations of greatest interaction between herds. We examined contact across spatiotemporal scales relevant to different disease transmission scenarios. Daily cattle movements increased with herd size and rainfall. Generally, contact between herds was greatest away from households, during periods with low rainfall and in locations close to dipping points. We demonstrate how movements and contacts affect the risk of disease spread. For example, transmission risk is relatively sensitive to the survival time of different pathogens in the environment, and less sensitive to transmission distance, at least over the range of the spatiotemporal definitions of contacts that we explored. We identify times and locations of greatest disease transmission potential and that could be targeted through tailored control strategies.
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Behnke, Roy H. "Grazing Into the Anthropocene or Back to the Future?" Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 5 (April 30, 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.638806.
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This essay examines three central components of extensive livestock production—herd composition, grazing/pasture management, and rangeland tenure. In all of these areas, fenced, and open-range forms of migratory pastoralism face a number of shared problems. Set aside the presumption that either one of these systems is technically or institutionally more advanced than the other, and it turns out that each has lessons for the other. 1. For a variety of reasons, including climate change, we can look forward to a future world with less grass, which presents a challenge for livestock producers reliant on grass feeding livestock. With little delay and minimal scientific support, East African pastoralists are already adjusting to a new woody world by diversifying the species composition of their herds to include more browsers—camels and goats. There is a potential lesson here for commercial ranchers who have traded the stability of mixed herds for the profitability of keeping sheep or cattle alone. 2. Migratory rangeland systems distribute livestock very differently than fenced, rotational systems of livestock, and pasture management. Whereas, migratory herds exploit environmental heterogeneity, fenced ranching attempts to suppress it. Emerging archaeological evidence is demonstrating that pastoralists have amplified rangeland heterogeneity for millennia; ecological research shows that this heterogeneity sustains both plant and wildlife biodiversity at the landscape scale; and new approaches to ranch management are appropriating aspects of migratory herding for use on fenced ranches. A rapprochement between the environmental sciences, ranching, and open-range migratory pastoralism has occurred and merits wider policy recognition. 3. In contemporary Africa, indigenous tenure regimes that sustain open rangelands are eroding under pressure from market penetration and state encapsulation. At the same time in the American West, there are emerging novel land tenure instruments that replicate some of the most important functional characteristics of tenure arrangements in pastoral Africa. After many false starts, it appears that some aspects of American ranching do provide an appropriate model for the preservation of the open-range migratory systems that they were once supposed to supplant. “Development” policy needs to reflect upon this inversion of roles and its implications for accommodating diversity.
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Gutiérrez, Carlos, María Teresa Tejedor-Junco, Margarita González, Erik Lattwein, and Stefanie Renneker. "Presence of antibodies but no evidence for circulation of MERS-CoV in dromedaries on the Canary Islands, 2015." Eurosurveillance 20, no. 37 (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.es.2015.20.37.30019.
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In 2012, a new betacoronavirus, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), was identified in humans. Several studies confirmed dromedary camels to be a potential reservoir and a source for human infection. Camels located on the Canary Islands were included in those studies and ca 10% of them were positive for MERS-CoV-specific antibodies. However, these findings could not be correctly interpreted because epidemiological information was not provided. Thus, further investigations were necessary to clarify these results. A total of 170 camels were investigated in this survey, of which seven (4.1%) were seropositive by ELISA. Epidemiological information revealed that all seropositive camels had been imported from Africa 20 or more years prior. We conclude that seropositive camels had contact with MERS-CoV in Africa and that there is no shedding of the virus among camels or people around the farms on the Canary Islands. However, the presence of antibodies in the camel herds should be monitored.
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Ngere, I., P. Munyua, J. Harcourt, et al. "High MERS-CoV seropositivity associated with camel herd profile, husbandry practices and household socio-demographic characteristics in Northern Kenya." Epidemiology and Infection 148 (2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0950268820002939.
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Abstract Despite high exposure to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), the predictors for seropositivity in the context of husbandry practices for camels in Eastern Africa are not well understood. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to describe the camel herd profile and determine the factors associated with MERS-CoV seropositivity in Northern Kenya. We enrolled 29 camel-owning households and administered questionnaires to collect herd and household data. Serum samples collected from 493 randomly selected camels were tested for anti-MERS-CoV antibodies using a microneutralisation assay, and regression analysis used to correlate herd and household characteristics with camel seropositivity. Households reared camels (median = 23 camels and IQR 16–56), and at least one other livestock species in two distinct herds; a home herd kept near homesteads, and a range/fora herd that resided far from the homestead. The overall MERS-CoV IgG seropositivity was 76.3%, with no statistically significant difference between home and fora herds. Significant predictors for seropositivity (P ⩽ 0.05) included camels 6–10 years old (aOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.0–5.2), herds with ⩾25 camels (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2–3.4) and camels from Gabra community (aOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2–4.2). These results suggest high levels of virus transmission among camels, with potential for human infection.