Supporting Evidence Based Interventions: Causes and extent of reproductive loss and mortality of domestic ruminants in Tanzania

Abstract

Improving productivity of livestock systems by reducing mortality, including reproductive losses, is a priority investment area. Data on the incidence and aetiology of livestock mortality, reproductive losses, and their impact on productivity in sub-Saharan Africa are required in order to prioritize interventions but are still very limited. The overarching objective of SEBI-Tz is to develop intervention strategies to control diseases causing mortality and reproductive loss in livestock in Tanzania. The project will do this by: a) collating and analysing Tanzanian mortality and reproductive loss data found in the literature and other data sources; b) screening existing livestock serum samples to determine the range of abortigenic pathogens that livestock are exposed to; c) analysing linked household survey data to determine the frequency of livestock reproductive losses and associations with pathogen exposure; d) establishing a livestock abortion surveillance platform to investigate cases of reproductive loss and to determine the prevalence of abortigenic agents in such cases; e) carrying out an economic assessment to determine the costs associated with reproductive loss and costs of the strategies used by farmers to mitigate these losses; f) designing and evaluating cost-effective and locally  appropriate intervention strategies. SEBI-Tz was launched in March 2017 and the first phase will complete in August 2019. We will present preliminary mortality data, cross-sectional household survey data illustrating the impact of reproductive losses across a range of livestock keeping settings, and results emanating from the first year of the abortion surveillance platform.

Key words: livestock, mortality, abortion, reproductive loss, Tanzania