Ghana - Farms and Newcastle

I spent the rest of the week on outreach at numerous different farms. We were many visiting sheep and goat farms, although we did treat a number of turkeys.

 

Most of the farms in Ghana look the same. They contain a flock of sheep and goats mixed together and often a couple of chickens or turkeys will be roaming around. The barns will be falling apart and made from wood. The ground is not particularly clean as any rubbish gets left on the ground. Some of the larger farms will have armed guards manning the entrances, which was a little frightening as they carried semi-automatic machine guns around with them.

 We were worming the sheep and goats, as well as giving them vitamins and antibiotics. Everything seems to be given vitamins. The de-wormers were given through drench - so down the mouth. This was more difficult in the larger animals as they didn't want to open their mouths and they had long horns. You had to hold on to their top jaw and squeeze until they opened it. The injections were a lot easier especially as the others were very helpful in showing me where to place the injection.




The turkey's were the easiest to inject as they would stay still once they were held upside down. They were also being vaccinated against Newcastle, which is becoming an epidemic in Ghana.

Newcastle Disease is a contagious disease that affects many domestic and wild avian species. The disease is zoonotic so can be passed from avian to human. The disease is passed through the infected bird's droppings and secretions from the eyes, nose and mouth. Newcastle disease spreads rapidly when birds are kept in confinement and are particularly common in commercially raised chickens and turkeys. If humans are exposed to birds with Newcastle disease, it can cause mild conjunctivitis and flu-like symptoms.