In Ethiopia, home to the largest equine population in Africa, there is always a tense wait for the Belg rains of early spring. Without these seasonal short rains, water sources are depleted and pasture is poor. And when pasture is poor, animals’ immune systems become vulnerable - leaving them susceptible to disease and their owners at risk of losing their livelihoods.
After the Belg rains failed in 2008, Brooke swung into action. We took part in the government's national vaccination programme and swiftly immunised and dewormed over 33,000 horses, donkeys and mules across 10 districts.
Vaccinations were given for two potentially lethal diseases:
Anthrax - which can cause high fever, respiratory difficulty and death, even in healthy animals
African Horse Sickness – a highly infectious disease transmitted by the Culicoides midge which has an extremely high fatality rate in acute cases.
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