DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Abdallah Ulega, announced on Thursday the country was on the brink of a breakthrough to produce vaccines for treating lung plague, a contagious bacterial disease that afflicts the lungs of cattle.
Ulega said the production of vaccines for lung plague, also known as contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, will provide a relief to livestock keepers in the nation.
"The vaccines are on final trials and we expect they will start to be distributed to livestock keepers in April," said Ulega, after he had inspected the Tanzania Vaccine Institute, a research pioneer of the vaccine, in Kibaha district in Coast region.
The contagious bacterial disease is caused by the bacterium mycoplasma mycoides, and the symptoms are pneumonia and inflammation of the lung membranes with an incubation period of 20 to 123 days.
He said currently the vaccine was being sold at between 15 U.S. dollars and 19 U.S. dollars per one dose but the government will sell it for 11 U.S. dollars per one dose.
Ulega said one of the priorities of the government was to ensure the welfare of livestock keepers.
Hezron Nongwa, Director of Veterinary Services, mentioned regions mostly affected by lung plague in cattle as Iringa, Mbeya, Songwe, Tanga, Ruvuma and Kilimanjaro.
