Case Report on Sudden death of cattle in Hahayile Wereda, Central Tigray (Ethiopia): Potential Causes of death and proposed interventions

Sudden deaths of animals due to unknown causes were reported in Hahayile Wereda, central Tigray (Ethiopia). Primary and secondary data on the symptoms, characteristics of the sudden death, number and species of affected animals and potential predisposing factors were obtained from field observation and survey (key informants interview), and desk review. Accordingly, a total of 241 cattle were reported to be dead from an unknown sudden death in two weeks’ time. The sudden death resulted in 85% mortality and 37.7% case fatality rate. This shows that the disease is fatal, and socioeconomically highly impactful, which caused huge losses to the farmers. Among the dead 243 cattle, oxen and dairy cows were highly affected probably due to the reason that the adult cattle were reported to consume poisonous plants in excess as compared to the young cattle. However, no such previous sudden deaths of animals were reported in the Wereda and most importantly, the farmers witnessed that there was heavy bombardments and air strikes during the war, and also large size of troops stayed in the area for almost a year. This indicated that the consumption of green feed with excess accumulations of poisonous chemicals, which might be linked with the recent war on Tigray, was claimed to be the potential predisposing factors for the sudden cattle deaths. Toxic substances such as nitrite, nitrate, and cyanides which potentially found in the green feed might have caused the sudden death of the cattle. The death might followed gastrointestinal and blood intoxication leading to methemoglobin, nervous, and respiratory and cardiac disorders. Therefore, farmers were advised to get their sick animals immediately treated with laxatives such as oil, soap, and toxic adsorbents such as strong tea and/or coffee, powder charcoal, methylene blue solution, etc. To prevent animals from further intoxications, farmers were advised not to feed their animals with the suspected poisonous plants and they were encouraged to adopt improved and heathy feeding practices with a close follow-up of their animals follow up.