Prevention and Control of BTB in Sudan

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) classifies BTB as a List B disease,

i. e., those transmissible diseases with socioeconomic and/or public health implica­tions, that are significant to be controlled.

In developed countries, the effective control and eradication of BTB from herds and/or farms are dependent on the identification and isolation of the sources of infection and application of the test-and-slaughter strategy (Cosivi et al. 1998; Ayele et al. 2004). In Sudan, these strategies pose major challenges to decision-makers because of a number of factors. These include the lack of knowledge of the actual prevalence of BTB in the national herd, technical and financial limitations, lack of an adequate veterinary infrastructure, and the negative views held by old-fashioned politicians who fail to understand the need to deal with the problem. Within a financial context, much less is spent in Sudan on maintaining animal and public health, compared to the amount of money spent on defense.

Although a number of current constraints impact negatively on attempts to deal with BTB, there remain a number of opportunities that will allow the authorities to deal with the infection. These include the extensive use of the intradermal tuberculin skin test, bacteriology, and molecular biological techniques for diagnostic purposes, in addition to using the relevant information emanating from abattoirs (Probst et al.

2011). This information can be supplemented by changes in animal husbandry and herd management, inspection of carcasses at the abattoirs for the presence of tuberculous lesions, and condemning tuberculous carcasses and slaughtering BTB-infected cattle, with indemnity to the producers.

Unfortunately, even though considerable efforts have been made to improve the Sudanese economy, there are still major financial constraints limiting efforts to control BTB in humans and animals. These constraints are compounded by the loss of fuel export earnings following the separation from South Sudan. One of the consequences of the ongoing lack of finances is that many of the well-trained Sudanese veterinarians are leaving the country to find employment in the nearby rich Arabian Gulf states (A-Rahman and Jacquet 2014). An enormous effort is needed by all concerned (the government, experts, international donors, and civil society organizations) to create and maintain a high-quality animal health service that will benefit Sudan.

In Sudan, the control of BTB by means of the test-and-slaughter policy has not yet been implemented. In dealing with BTB, initially testing and isolating reactors, combined with the pasteurization of milk, could be beneficial control practices on dairy farms. When dealing with the traditional, extensive production systems in rural Sudan, implementing control measures will be more difficult and complex due to the large numbers of livestock involved, the free and uncontrolled movement of animals (nomadic and pastoral practices), and the related economic and social challenges associated with the nomadic way of life.

For the successful implementation of a control program, Sudanese authorities will have to address important economic considerations, governmental commitment, active partnerships, and collaboration with international organizations. The Suda­nese Government will also have to provide adequate security for the personnel involved in the BTB control program, particularly in those instances when they employ foreigners to assist them with the program (Safari Notes 2010).

As M. bovis is mainly transmitted from cattle to humans through the consumption of milk from tuberculous cattle, the control of human infection can be achieved by pasteurization of milk in addition to the general control of bovine tuberculosis in livestock (O’Reilly and Daborn 1995). Additionally, enhancing public awareness about the importance of the disease in humans and animals, the risks involved, the routes of infection, the measures required to control infection, the application of efficient and effective meat inspection practices, and changes in animal management would contribute substantially to the control of tuberculosis in Sudan. It must also be kept in mind that elimination of the disease may be complicated by the possibility that several wildlife reservoirs of M. bovis may be present in the country (Flamand et al. 1994).

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