- Director for livestock department Haret Hambe said community disease reporters will be engaged in livestock disease surveillance and reporting.
- He said the move will help avert livestock deaths and enhance working relationship among trained community disease reporters and veterinary officials.
The Garissa livestock department and Save the Children Kenya has launched a four-day training for community-based livestock disease reporters.
Director for livestock Haret Hambe on Tuesday said community disease reporters will be engaged in disease surveillance and reporting.
The training aims to enhance early detection and prompt response to disease outbreaks.
Drought has hit the region hard after two successive seasons of failed rains.
However, the last one week has seen the region receive minimal rain in almost all parts, much to the relief of the pastoralists who have lost hundreds of their herds.
Humbe said with the onset of rains livestock diseases were common and the training would help the community in recognition of the common livestock diseases with some level of accuracy.
He said that inadequacy of skilled veterinary personnel compared to the high number of livestock contributed to the on-going training that will help to extend services to the grassroots level.
The director said the move would help avert livestock deaths and enhance the working relationship between the trained community disease reporters and veterinary officials at the sub county level.
He cautioned pastoralist communities against administering antibiotics to animals without relying on expert advice from veterinary doctors.
"Report cases of any suspected livestock diseases to trained community disease reporters and avoid using antibiotics since they contribute to antimicrobial resistance that is a global concern,'' Hambe said.
Save the Children food security and livelihood project co-ordinator Sugow Mohamed said in addition to the training his organisation will provide mobile phones and vaccine carriers to the department for enhanced passive surveillance and cold chain management respectively.
Mohamed said the training partnership was part of a wider commitment by the organisation towards enhancing food security and livelihoods through capacity building for both livestock and crop farmers.
The programme also involved provision of seeds and farm tools to 350 smallholder farmers, livestock vaccination campaign and facilitation of community disease reporters.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)