Final Technical Report: A low-cost haemoglobinometer as a decision support tool for bovine disease diagnosis in sub-Saharan Africa.
Abstract
The developmental problem addressed in this project is the low productivity of livestock, particularly cattle, in high potential and peri-urban areas of tropical countries, which results from high levels of endemic diseases (trypanosomiasis, tick-borne diseases, helminthoses, and malnutrition). Control of these diseases has until recently been the remit of state veterinary services, which have now all but disappeared for resource-poor farmers with the global trend towards privatisation. With this contraction of veterinary services, increasing responsibility falls on the farmer, animal health assistants and other extension workers, groups that are ill equipped for the task of diagnosis of the common, important cattle diseases. Appropriate drug use and other disease control strategies depends on correct diagnosis and a working understanding of the suitability of therapeutic options. Existing techniques for diagnosis of these diseases are too costly and unavailable to the groups making treatment decisions in the modern scenario.
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