Animal Health, Diseases and Parasites
This domain tests recognition, prevention and control of livestock diseases and parasites in Namibia, including notifiable diseases, tick-borne diseases, internal parasites and safe drug use.
Core rules
- Notifiable diseases must be reported to the state veterinarian. They include foot-and-mouth disease, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, anthrax, rabies, brucellosis, tuberculosis and sheep scab.
- Namibia uses veterinary cordon fences and movement control to protect export status; do not move animals illegally.
- Ticks transmit heartwater (Amblyomma), anaplasmosis and babesiosis (Rhipicephalus). Regular inspection and strategic dipping or spraying are essential.
- Internal parasites such as Haemonchus contortus (barber's pole worm) cause anaemia; FAMACHA scoring and faecal egg counts guide treatment.
- Vaccinate against anthrax in endemic areas and rabies in dogs; control brucellosis through testing and culling.
- Dose by body weight, use the correct route and respect withdrawal periods before slaughter or milk sale.
Worked example
A 35 kg sheep needs ivermectin at 0.2 mg/kg. The dose is 35 x 0.2 = 7 mg. A 1% ivermectin solution contains 10 mg/mL, so the volume is 7/10 = 0.7 mL. The reasoning converts body weight to milligrams, then converts concentration to volume. Weigh animals rather than guessing, because underdosing selects resistant parasites and overdosing risks toxicity.
Traps
- Confusing dose per kilogram with a fixed dose per animal.
- Ignoring withdrawal periods and selling meat or milk too soon.
- Vaccinating sick animals or using expired vaccine.
- Treating a notifiable disease privately instead of reporting it.
- Assuming all ticks cause the same disease.