David M. Sherman

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Animal Health Care in Afghanistan

• David M. Sherman
• ASAP Program Manager
• Dutch Committee for Afghanistan
• DCA

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The Livestock Resource
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Livestock Numbers in Afghanistan

• Sheep 8.8 million
• Goats 7.3 million
• Cattle 3.7 million
• Donkeys 1.6 million
• Horses 142 thousand
• Camels 175 thousand
• Poultry 12.0 million
• FAO Livestock Census 2003

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General Objectives for Improving Livestock
Health and Production

• Rebuild export markets for value-added Afghan
  livestock products
• Reduce importation of animal source foods into
  Afghanistan
• Provide reliable animal traction and transport
  for Afghan agriculture and commerce

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Sheep and Goats

• Recapturing export opportunities for unique
  Afghan
• small ruminant products
• Carpets, Cashmere and Karakul

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Health Constraints on Small Ruminants

• Peste de petits ruminants
• Sheep and goat pox
• Foot and mouth disease
• Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP)
• Pasteurellosis
• Enterotoxemia
• Liver flukes
• Gastrointestinal parasites
• Brucellosis?
• Highly contagious List A diseases of the
  OIE

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General Constraints on Small Ruminant Production

• Loss of traditional markets and trade channels
• Limited value-added processing in country
• Limited efforts to improve fiber quality
• Feed issues
• Complex pressures on grazing lands
• Unreliable winter feed supplies
• Drought early warning and mitigation
• Limited herd management tools
• E.g., reproductive management

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Cattle and Poultry

• Important species in the effort for import
  substitution
• of animal source foods

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Afghan Animal Protein Production Deficits 2005
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Health Constraints on Cattle

• Foot and mouth disease
• Anthrax
• Blackquarter
• Hemorrhagic septicemia
• Respiratory disease (especially winter)
• Internal parasites
• Mastitis
• Infertility
• Brucellosis and Tuberculosis?
• Highly contagious List A disease of the OIE

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General Constraints on (Dairy) Cattle Production

• Lack of processing facilities to drive demand
• Infrastructure challenges for moving milk
• Dairy herd quality management practices
• Serious feed constraints
• Quality forage supply
• Winter feed supply
• Supplements
• Genetic improvement for milk production

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Health Constraints on Poultry Production

• Newcastle Disease
• Gumboro Disease (IBD)
• Pullorum Disease (Salmonella)
• Coccidiosis
• Lice and Ticks (Spirochetosis)
• Infectious coryza
• Intestinal worms
• Hydropericardium (adenovirus) in broilers
• List B diseases of the OIE

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General Constraints on Poultry Production

• Competition from cheap imports
• Limited marketing infrastructure
• Inadequate poultry feed supplies
• Limited availability of improved breeds
• Lack of extension
• Increasing production costs inhibit large scale
  operations

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Cattle, Horses, Donkeys and Camels

• Important species for
• traction and transport
• in agriculture and commerce

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Health Constraints on Equines

• Endoparasites
• Ticks
• Respiratory Disease
• Lameness
• Wounds and trauma from load-bearing

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Health Constraints on Camels

• Surra (trypanosomiasis)
• Hemorrhagic Septicemia (Pasteurellosis)

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Other Species to Consider

• Dogs
• Herding Dogs
• Fighting Dogs
• Demining Dogs
• Street Dogs

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Health Concerns Related to Dogs

• Canine Distemper
• Common, preventable fatal disease of dogs
• Rabies
• A major public health issue in Afghanistan
• Tapeworms
• Definitive host for coenurosis, hydatidosis in
  small ruminants

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Veterinary Service Deliveryin Afghanistan
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Brief History

• 1933 First Government Vet Clinic Established
• Time of monarchy and relative stability
• 1970s The Golden Age of Veterinary Medicine
• Much foreign aid directed toward veterinary
  infrastructure, particularly veterinary education
• 1980s Decline of Veterinary Service
• Russian invasion and Mujahadeen resistance
• 1990s Emergency Relief Effort in Animal Health
• FAO, UNDP, Various NGOs
• 2000-2001 Situation Dire
• Severe drought compounds animal production
  problems

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Rebuilding Animal Health Care

• Provide appropriate, high quality, reliable, and
  sustainable clinical veterinary services to
  livestock owners in the private sector.
• Restore and reform the government veterinary
  service to effectively focuses on key public good
  functions such as disease surveillance and
  control efforts and regulatory activities.
• Restore quality veterinary education in the
  country.
• Effectively integrate the public, private and
  educational sectors to develop a new national
  framework for veterinary medicine

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Key Elements for an Effective National
Veterinary Service
Government Veterinary Authority Policy,
Planning, Regulation Quality Control Relative
to Drugs Vaccines, Disease Control Food Safety
Government Veterinary Authority Public Sector
Functions
Veterinary Education Paraprofessional and
Professional
Diagnostic Services And Disease Control Disease
investigation, Movement controls, Quarantine,
Testing, Laboratory Diagnosis
Diagnostic Services And Disease Control Mainly
Public Sector Functions Which Can Be
Contracted To the Private Sector
Clinical Services Extension, Treatment and
Prevention
Clinical Services Private Sector Function
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Evidence of Movement Towards The Public Private
Partnership

• Transfer of government clinics to the private
  sector through HLP
• Development of VFU inspection and regulation
  protocols by MAIL/AHDP
• Some participation of VFUs in recent MAIL
  emergency vaccination campaigns
• Development of a sanitary mandate system through
  HLP with qualified VFU staff contracted to
  perform government disease control activities

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Regulation of Drug Vaccine Supply

• No meaningful regulation of the vaccine
  medicine supply
• Seriously undermines farmer confidence in
  veterinary interventions as they often do not
  work due to poor quality
• Undermines livelihoods and service delivery of
  VFU staff who must compete with cheaper products
  in bazaar
• An important constraint on livestock health and
  productivity
• Problems include
• No oversight by regulatory board or commission
• No list of approved products or manufacturers
• Import sale of medicines and vaccines by
  unqualifed persons
• Improper storage that destroys product efficacy
• Misleading labeling to fool illiterate farmers
• Outright counterfeiting of popular, effective
  products
• No quality control procedures in place

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Regulation of Drug Import and Sale
Genuine Product
Dangerous Imitation
200 mg/ml
100 mg/ml
The sale of the lower strength product should be
prohibited with this product name.
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Key Elements for an Effective National
Veterinary Service
Government Veterinary Authority Policy,
Planning, Regulation Quality Control Relative
to Drugs Vaccines, Disease Control Food Safety
Veterinary Education Paraprofessional and
Professional
Diagnostic Services And Disease Control Disease
investigation, Movement controls, Quarantine,
Testing, Laboratory Diagnosis
Clinical Services Extension, Treatment and
Prevention
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The Veterinary Field Unit System
The VFU system is an important available
resource for the government veterinary authority
and for new and existing implementing agencies
involved in livestock health and production
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Current Number of NGO-SupportedVeterinary Field
Units (VFUs)May 2008
Data from Stephen Blakeway, Consultant, MAIL/AHDP
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VFU Locations as of Feb 2007
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Why the VFU system is an asset

• VFU network penetrates into all rural areas
• Staff are selected and supported by communities
• Paravets have 5 months of intensive training
• VFUs provided with the highest quality vaccines
• Maintain proper cold chain for vaccines
• Possess basic veterinary equipment and supplies
• Transport available for conducting field work
• VFUS already established and self-supporting
• Eager for new opportunities and knowledge
• Introductions to VFUs can be facilitated

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Veterinary Instruments
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Solar Powered Refrigerator
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Cool box with ice packs
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Motorcycles and Cattle Crushes
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Individual animals seen at the clinic
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Mass vaccination done in the field
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Conclusions

• Access to animal health care is a critical
  cornerstone for ensuring the productivity of
  animals, the growth of the livestock industry and
  the expansion of international trade in livestock
  products.
• This is especially true in Afghanistan where
  highly contagious animal diseases are still
  largely uncontrolled.
• Afghanistan is making significant progress in
  reestablishing an effective animal health care
  system through the development of a public
  -private partnership.