Small ruminants (goats and sheep) are kept for multiple purposes and provide a modest, but increasing, contribution to national production of red meat and milk. Most products are consumed by the household or traded through informal markets. Industry snapshot:
Small ruminant production systems Pastoralism with larger herds
Smallholder herds
Smallholder intensive
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Written by Dr. Beppe Di Giulio
I, a veterinarian based in Arusha, Tanzania, would like to report a high morbidity/mortality in sheep and goats in the Southern part of Kenya and Northern part of Tanzania, possibly caused by Coenurus cerebralis. The term “possibly” is applied since the diagnosis is based only upon the finding of cysts localized outside the animal’s brains. The Maasai call the disease “Ormilo” (head disease). They started complaining about it some 10 years ago; during the past 3 years, the reported morbidity-mortality has reached around 20 percent. Today, Ormilo is the main Maasai’s concern among the small ruminant diseases/parasitoses. Ormilo is reported to affect both goats and sheep at any time of the year. It is reported to be more prevalent in 1 to 3-year-old animals. |
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April 2025
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