By Wambo Emmanuel in Bamenda
The Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industry MINEPIA, in partnership with GIZ, a German cooperation and CAPHAVET have launched a vaccination campaign to combat a disease commonly known as Newcastle noted to be affecting village chickens. The vaccination campaign launched in Bamenda last Thursday, June 8, 2017 at the Alliance Francaise, is a joint project involving some ten divisions of the northwest and west regions. These include; Mezam, Ngoketunjia, Donga Mantung and Bui division for the northwest, the Nde, Upper Nkam, Mifi, Noun, Bambutos and Menoua divisions for the West region.
It should be noted that the aim of the vaccination campaign is to help reduce the Newcastle disease-related mortality and above all, create jobs in rural areas through animal health development post (AHDPs). The campaign is also part of the Green Innovation Centers in the Agric-Food sector project (ProCISA), a Cameroon-German cooperation project dedicated to cocoa, poultry and potato value chains. It was made public during the one day seminar in Bamenda that was attended by all the stakeholders in the poultry and animal sector that, the poultry sector has been faced with some major challenges related to health with Newcastle in particular decimating more than 70 percent of chickens owned by poultry farmers.
However, the representative of the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industry, Houwe Jacque Philorbert, during the seminar said, his ministry is determined to put an end to the Newcastle disease by way of carrying out an intensive campaign. He nevertheless invited the veterinary structures selected for the campaign to diligently carryout their duties without profit making as he made it public that a dose of the vaccination cost 50 FRS each and 10 FRS for parricide. He promised a strict follow-up of the vaccination process by his collaborators of the various delegations of the regions and divisions involved in the project. Village vaccinators trained in the vaccination techniques, their duty will be to sensitize, control parasites and vaccinate backyard birds in different villages.
The representative of HAPHAVET, a private medical firm charged with the distribution of drugs for the vaccination, Dr Mahamat in a joint voice with that of the representative of GIZ, main partners of the projects Arne Schuffenhauer, urged the stakeholders to work toward a lasting solution of the Newcastle disease because the backyard poultry pays a very important role in the social and economic life of the rural communities in the West and northwest regions. CAPHAVET furthered that a user-friendly and effective vaccine against the Newcastle disease which his structure has made available and the animal health development units the project has been able to put in place will reach the farmers in all the corners of village. He noted that the task will not be easy taking into consideration that it is the first time such a campaign has been put up. While, GIZ representative, Arne Schuffenhauer, also said that his organization has opted for a public-private partnership by involving MINEPIA as institutional partner and CAPHAVET a private sector partner.
Others speakers included the regional delegate for MINEPIA NW, Dr. Atanga Heinendez, MINEPIA West regional delegate Dr. Idrissou Bapetel, who all promised to oversee the running of the vaccination campaign by the actors involved.