DRUG TO IMPROVE ANIMAL LIFE IN CAMEROON

There is good news for cattle farmers in Cameroon.  There is now a new drug that they can use to successfully tackle animal illnesses, especially the rampant infestation of ticks. The drug which is called “tophine” was presented to them at a recent seminar held in Bamenda. The seminar was organized by an international animal health NGO known as Merial, supported by the Ministry of Animal Breeding, Livestock and Animal Industries.

During the colloquium, the North West Regional Delegate for Animal Breeding, Livestock and Animal Industries, Dr. Atanga Heinendez, cited the region as an example of one where thousands of cattle perish from several diseases.

While reporting on the seminar, The Post pinpointed the nature of the predatory ticks which it described as “small arachnids, mites (which) constitute the subclass of carina. They suck the blood of cows, birds and sometimes reptiles and amphibians.”

 The paper also summarized the three main harmful effects of ticks as revealed during the seminar being sucking the blood of animals and causing anemia, harming animals and creating room for bacterial or viral infections, as well as infecting humans with tick-related diseases.