Dairy Cattle

Theileria parva

High fever, swollen lymph nodes (especially the parotid gland), laboured breathing, nasal discharge, loss of appetite, and rapid decline; often fatal within 3 weeks of onset in susceptible exotic dairy breeds if untreated.

Prevention: Regular acaricide spraying/dipping to control tick burden, use of the infection-and-treatment method (ITM) live vaccine in endemic areas, and avoiding introduction of unvaccinated exotic cattle into high-challenge zones without cover.

Treatment: Early treatment with buparvaquone is highly effective if given promptly after diagnosis; supportive fluids and anti-inflammatory care improve survival odds in advanced cases.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus

Fever followed by blister-like vesicles and erosions on the mouth, tongue, gums, and between the hooves, causing excessive salivation, lameness, reluctance to move or feed, and a sharp drop in milk yield.

Prevention: Routine vaccination against locally circulating serotypes, movement control/quarantine of animals from outbreak zones, disinfection of vehicles and equipment entering farms, and prompt reporting to veterinary authorities (it is a notifiable disease in Kenya).

Treatment: No specific antiviral cure; treatment is supportive - soft feed and clean water, antiseptic mouth/foot washes, and antibiotics only to control secondary bacterial infection of lesions - while the animal is quarantined until it recovers.