5 livestock tick-borne diseases to watch out for during rains

Cows drinking water at a watering point at emkong borehole in kerio valley, Elgeyo Marakwet. [Christopher Kipsang,Standard]

We are just from a devastating drought that has left thousands of livestock dead resulting in losses, pain and misery for farmers. But now things are looking up with the onset of rains in most parts of the country. As the vegetation grows, the remaining animals are slowly bouncing back to life. However, even with the rains, livestock farmers need to be extra vigilant to protect their animals from a range of potential health threats. During the rainy season, there is a high risk of parasitic infections such as worms, ticks, lice, and mites affecting livestock. Of these the most lethal are ticks and worms. Today I will focus on ticks.