The veterinary profession in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika merits the plaudits and sincere appreciation of the livestock industry and the people of these countries. The veterinarians have done a superb job in the control and prevention of animal diseases in this country. Through their research, dissemination of intelligent veterinary information, and realistic, sensible veterinary practices, the livestock industry has made unbelievable progress in East Africa. Agriculture is one of the important keys in the continuing advancement and development of this country or any area of the world

Ramsey, F. K.

English

The veterinary profession in Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika merits the plaudits and sincere appreciation of the livestock industry and the people of these countries. The veterinarians have done a superb job in the control and prevention of animal diseases in this country. Through their research, dissemination of intelligent veterinary information, and realistic, sensible veterinary practices, the livestock industry has made unbelievable progress in East Africa. Agriculture is one of the important keys in the continuing advancement and development of this country or any area of the world.</p

Ramsey, F.

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)

The Veterinary ProfessionIn East AfricaF. K. Ramsey, D.V.M., Ph.D.The veterinary profession in Kenya,Uganda and Tanganyika merits the plaud-its and sincere appreciation of tIle live-stock industry and the people of thesecountries. The veterinarians have done asuperb job in the control and preventionof animal diseases in this country.Through their research, dissenlinatioll ofintelligent veterinary information, andrealistic, sensible veterinary practices, thelivestock industry has made unbelievableprogress in East Africa. Agriculture is oneof the important keys in the continuingadvancement and development of thiscountry or any area of the world.The livestock industry is vital to EastAfrica in that it accounts for one fifth ofthe country's productivity. A livestock ill-dustry in the tropics is utterly dependenton the veterinary profession. Today whenmany diseases have been curbed, therebymaking tropical livestock farming possible,the -daily task of keeping stock alive is aptto be underestimated. It is worthy of note,however, that the world's greatest cattle*Dr. Ramsey is head of the Department of Vet-erinary Pathology at Iowa State University. TheInternational Cooperation Administration (nowAgency for Independent Development) requestedthe services of Dr. Ramsey to make a survey of re-quirements for the establishment of a college ofVeterinary Medicine in East Africa and to adviseand assist the East Africa High Commission, offic-ials of Makerere College, The Directors of the Vet-erinary Services and other governmental andeducation officials in the development of a veteri-nary medical college program. Dr. Ramsey was inEast Africa in June and July of 1960.Issue 3, 1961-62killer, rinderpest, is only held at bay in thehorn of Africa by the annual vaccinationof 81/2 million cattle. If vigilance were tobe eased, the disease might well obliteratethe industry in a single pandemic, as itdid only sixty years ago. The presentcalamitous outbreak of African horse sick-ness in the Middle East is an example ofwhat can happen when disease runs riotin the tropics.East Africa's future needs must beviewed in the context of the normal veter-inary cover of the better developed partsof the world. Thus, ignoring East Africa'sthirty million sheep and goats, the exist-ing veterinary cover in this essentiallystock-breeding country is about one veteri-narian to 100,000 head of cattle, C0111-pared with one to 3,300 in the UnitedKingdom, one to 6,000 in North Americaand one to 40,000 in South Africa. Agai11,there are some 6,500 veterinarians inBritain compared with about 200 ill EastAfrica while the average annual output ofthe United Kingdom schools over the lastten years was 222, Le. more than the totalactually employed in East Africa, an agri-cultural country some 71/2 times the sizeof Great Britain.The veterinary profession of East Africahas a wide scope of responsibilities. Ingeneral it has direct or indirect supervisionof all aspects of the animal industry. Theveterinary profession is -definitely involvedin the trade of livestock and animal159Cattle being washed before slaughter to removedirt from the hide at the Athi River abattoir nearNairobi, Kenya.products as the hide and skin improve-ment service, dairy industry improvementservice and African livestock and poultrymarketing organizations. It actively partic-ipates in formulating programs for animalhusbandry and livestock improvement con-cerning type of pasture lands and soil fer-tilizers.The veterinary services are responsiblefor prevention and control of animal dis-eases. These diseases include Africanswine fever, rinderpest, foot and mouthdisease, lumpy skin disease, brucellosis,contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, RiftValley fever, clostridial infections, anth-rax, black quarter and rabies. Diseasescaused by agents transmitted by insectsto susceptible hosts are East Coast fever,heartwater, blue tongue, trypanosomiasis,anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Africanhorse sickness.Routine diagnosis and analysis are im-portant functions. Foot and mouth virustyping and detection are done. Serologicaltests are performed on sera and mucus forinfectious infertility disease, Johne's dis-ease and contagious bovine pleuropneu-monia. The chemistry section of the veter-inary services plays an important role inits dip testing service, milk testing service,toxicological analysis, and detection of de-ficiency diseases. In the field of parasitol-ogy specialized protozoolgical, entomo-logical, and helminthological diagnoses160are made. Post mortem examinations, his-topathological evaluations, microscopicalexaminations of smears, bacterial andtoxic techniques and poultry diagnosesare routine functions of this department.Much work has been and is being doneon isolation of viruses in tissue culture andin animals as well as serological tests forvirus diseases.Time and space will only permit men-tioning the production of vaccines whichis of prime importance to this country.The primary purpose of the meat in-spection services, essentially a publichealth function, is to prevent transmissionof disease agents to the consumer and en-sure a sound, safe and wholesome productfor human consumption. The secondaryaims are economic in nature and includethe support of the meat industry and re-duction of wastages and losses in meatand its by-products. An American Armydelegation consisting of a veterinarian anda medical officer visited Kenya late in1959 to study the standards of meat in-spection and hygiene operated by depart-mental officers at the main exporting abat-toirs of Athi River and Uplands, in orderto advise their Government on the possibleuse by United States Forces of meat andmeat products from Kenya. They com-mented in most favorable terms upon themethods and standards maintained inthese abattoirs.Holding pens at the Athi River abattoir. MeatProducts were of excellent quality.Iowa State University VeterinarianThe central artificial inseminationcenter is located near Kabete, Kenya. Itwas a splendid example of a very prac-tical, modern, well equipped establish-ment that would compare favorably withsimilar plants in the United States. It isone of the finest artificial inseminationcenters south of the sub-Sahara and servesprincipally East Africa. The veterinaryprofession cooperates directly with thisorganization in health problems concern-ing the bulls and to see that the semen isa high quality product. Friesam, Guern-sey, Ayrshire, Jersey, Hereford, Sahiwaland Red Poll bulls are used. Artificial in-semination of cattle has resulted in qual-ity improvement of small herds of cowson European and especially African farms.The Wellcome Research Laboratory islocated at Kabete, Kenya. The director isMr. Jack Wilde who is actively engaged inresearch detecting the bone marrow andhematological changes occur in East Coastfever and in screening and evaluating theeffects of various drugs on the etiologicalagent of East Coast fever and the host'stissue. Research is also being done onanaplasmosis.The Wellcome Research Foundationcontributed the funds for the physicalplant of the Foot and Mouth Disease Re-search Center located at Kabete, Kenya.This is a substation of the veterinary serv-ices of Kabete, Kenya and is devoted en-Artificial insemination of cattle has resulted inquality improvement of small herds of cows onEuropean and especially African farms.Issue 3, 1961-62Ambulatory clinicians provide an excellent serviceto the African and European farmers.tirely to research in foot and mouth dis-ease.The East Mrican Veterinary Researchorganization (EAVRO) is one of theregional research organizations establishedby the East Mrica High Commission, withfinancial assistance provided by the UnitedKingdom from the Research Allocationunder the Colonial Development and Wel-fare Act, to undertake research on import-ant problems common to the whole EastAfrica region, which comprises Kenya,Tanganyika, Uganda and Zanzibar. It isrecognized as one of the finest in theworld.This organization has co-operated withscientists and research institutions fromvarious areas of the world. This has provento be a most satisfactory arrangement andmutually beneficial to all parties. For anumber of years the United States has hadveterinary research teams, for example,working on rinderpest and African swinefever at the East African Veterinary Re-search Organization Laboratories. The po-tentialities for research in tropical diseasesof domestic and wild animals stagger theimagination. Nature has provided one ofthe most ideal climates and beautiful en-vironments known to man for the work.The ambulatory clinicians of the Veter-inary School of Kabete are providing anexcellent service to the African and Euro-pean farmers. It was very apparent that161these livestock owners appreciated theknowledge and skill of these veterinariansand were seeking advice from them con-cerning their animals.In riding with African ambulatoryclinicians I was most impressed with theirenthusiasm about their work, their desireto improve the livestock industry, theirability in imparting knowledge to thefarmer, their professional conduct on thefarm and the scientific and practical ap-proach in handling sick animals.Marked progress in farming practicesby the African was obvious. Improvementin the quality of their livestock was veryapparent on many farms. Good poultryflocks varying in number from 200 to1,000 birds were noted.Self-government has occurred in Tang-anyika. Self-government is imminent inthe other territories. When it comes, it isbelieved that many of the British veteri-narians will leave. If more than one-fifthof East Africa's productivity is to be pre-served, let alone developed, an efficientveterinary service must be maintained.Therefore the loss of British Veterinarypersonnel must be replaced in the verynear future by locally trained African Vet-erinarians. This can eventually be accom-plished by the establishment of a fullyqualified veterinary school in East Africaopen to all races.A veterinary student must be trained inthe environment in which he intends towork in the future. Tropical diseases,farming practices, animal husbandry,knowledge of local conditions, and veteri-nary problems that exist in Kenya,Uganda, and Tanganyika and other partsof Africa must be emphasized in their vet-erinary training and education. This can-not be done if they receive their veterinaryeducation in foreign countries.In summary the writer wishes to statethat definite progress has been made inthe establishment of a fully accredited vet-erinary school at Kabete, Kenya for thetraining of African veterinarians. PhaseI of the development of this school willbe initiated in July of 1962. Financial as-sistance is coming from 3 main sources,Rockfeller Foundation, Agency for Inde-pendent Development (A.J.D.) and GreatBritain.1------.AVMA ,GROUP INSURANCEMay 1,1962 marks the 5th anniversary of AVMA Group Insurance in Mutualof New York. Several liberalizations of benefits have been provided, and coststo members have been reduced substantially by dividend refunds.In the consideration of your needs for personal and familysecurity, you are invited to call or writeIIFIRST IN AMERICAIIThe Mutual Llf. Insurance Company of New YorkMUTUAL OF NEW YORKNew York, N.Y.Residence-41l0 Forest Ave., Des MoinesPhone CRestwood 9-5694HAROLD V. TAYLOROffice-1010 Des Moines Bldg. Des MoinesPhone -CHerry 4-0145i1_-162 Iowa State University Veterinarian

The Veterinary Profession In East Africa

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The Veterinary Profession In East Africa

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