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Message: [QUOTE="Shamiso, post: 84124, member: 160"] That tick fever wiping out herds is back, with farmers told to strictly follow dipping rules. The government advisory warns that January Disease spreads fast in wet weather, requiring weekly cattle dipping as a legal mandate. Prevention focuses on controlling the brown ear tick through acaricide use and spray races. A specific dipping schedule called the 5-5-4 model is advised for outbreak zones. Application of tick grease on sensitive animal areas provides extra protection. Veterinarians also point to a locally produced vaccine named BOLVAC, available in increased quantities for immunization. Farmers must report suspected cases within one day to the Directorate of Veterinary Services. Moving cattle from affected areas is prohibited, as it fuels transmission. Officials note non-compliance with dipping schedules constitutes an offence under animal health laws. Provincial directors like Dr. Gwinyai Zhandire and Dr. Enat Mdlongwa confirm disease presence in regions such as Bubi District and Matabeleland South. They cite government provision of chemicals and the Presidential Tick Grease Programme as key support measures. Despite available resources, some farmers skip scheduled dipping, allowing the illness to persist. Matabeleland South holds around eight thousand vaccine doses with low uptake, though the region was severely impacted. Livestock specialist Mhlupheki Dube urges farmers to treat entire herds and consider purchasing acaricides independently. National cattle losses from this disease have reached huge numbers in recent periods, prompting a major domestic vaccine production effort. The response included manufacturing hundreds of thousands of BOLVAC doses after resuming local production. [/QUOTE]

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