Factors worsening tick borne diseases occurrence in rural communities. A case of Bindura district, Zimbabwe

Abstract Since 2018, Zimbabwe has lost more than 9% of its national beef herd due to tick-borne diseases. Theileriosis is the major suspect among the tick-borne diseases. A survey was conducted to find out factors which are worsening the occurrence of tick-borne diseases in Zimbabwe, using Bindura district as a case study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographics and general tick-related challenges confronting cattle farmers in the district. Cattle were dying in Bindura district, and tick-borne diseases were suspected to be causing the losses. A smaller proportion (13%) of cattle were not being dipped regularly, posing risk of providing hosts on which ticks complete their life cycle. More than 50% of the farmers had received some training on animal health issues. It was concluded that cattle were dying of tick-borne disease-related ailments. It was fervently agreed that higher acaricide costs were deterring farmers from sticking to the recommended dipping frequencies. Efficacy of acaricides was compromised since not all ticks were falling-off their host following dipping. The government and private sector were identified as key stakeholders to subsidize acaricides so as to make them affordable to the small-scale communal farmers. Researchers urged farmers to form smaller groups to boost their purchasing power as they will order the acaricides in bulk. Veterinary services department should improve their surveillance and offer postmortem services on dying beasts.