A Ten-year Retrospective Study on The Prevalence of Ruminant Diseases Encountered at the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory Veterinary Clinic Gwagwalada, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory (MFCT) Veterinary clinic, Gwagwalada, Abuja to document the diseases of ruminants that prevailed between January, 1999 and December, 2008. A total of 703 cases were recorded for the various animals during this period. The specie of ruminants and their percentages presented at the clinic includes Cattle (17.5%), Sheep (35.6%) and Goats (46.9%). The diseases diagnosed were Peste des Petit Ruminants (PPR) which was 40.1%, Contagious Bovine Pleuro Pneumonia (CBPP) 1.4%, Dermatophilosis 2%, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) 0.6%, Helminthosis 20.2%, Brucellosis 3.3% and  Trypanosomosis 5%. PPR was the most prevalent disease with an infection rate of 40.1% followed by helminthosis (20.2%); the least was FMD with a prevalent rate of 0.6%. It was recommended that livestock farmers in Gwagwalada should plan their disease control strategies by consulting the MFCT Veterinary clinic and the University of Abuja Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada for information on disease epidemiology to keep themselves abreast with management strategies of diseases in the locality.