Spinal cord injury is a common occurrence in Zimbabwe and carries with it a high morbidity and mortality. In the past almost all patients discharged from hospital were dead within a year. Reasons for this high mortality are presented. The establishment of the National Rehabilitation Centre has had a profound impact on the survival of these individuals as well as on improving their quality of life. The results of a retrospective survey on the mortality and life situation of individuals with spinal cord injuries sustained through trauma are presented. However major unresolved problems are inadequate housing, lack of ®nancial support, practically no prospect of employment and depression compounded by boredom.

Please cite the paper as: Matope, G., Bhebhe, E., Muma, J.B., Oloya, J., Madekurozwa, R.L., Lund, A., Skjerve, E., 2011. Seroprevalence of brucellosis and its risk factors in cattle from smallholder dairy farms in Zimbabwe. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 43:975-979. 2 AbstractA cross sectional study was conducted to investigate seroprevalence of brucellosis and the associated risk factors in cattle from smallholder dairy farms in Gokwe, Marirangwe, Mushagashe, Nharira, Rusitu and Wedza areas of Zimbabwe. A total of 1440 cattle from 203 herds were tested serially for Brucella antibodies using Rose Bengal test (RBT) and the competitive ELISA (c-ELISA). Weighted seroprevalence estimates were calculated and risk factors in individual cattle investigated using logistic regression analysis. The overall individual animal brucellosis seroprevalence was low, with mean of 5.6 % (95 % CI: 4.4 %, 6.8 %). Gokwe had the highest individual (12.6%; 95 % CI: 3.9 %, 21.4 %) and herd-level (40.0%; 95 % CI: 22.1%, 58.0 %), while Wedza had the lowest individual (2.3 %; 95 % CI: 0 %, 5.3 %) and herdlevel (8.0%; 95% CI: 0.0 %, 18.9 %) brucellosis seroprevalence, respectively. In individual cattle, the area of origin, age and history of abortion were independently associated with brucellosis seroprevalence. While the seroprevalence was independent of sex, it decreased with increasing age. Cattle 2-4 years old had higher odds (OR = 3.2; 95 % CI: 1.1, 9.1) of being seropositive compared to those > 7 years. Cows with a history of abortion were more likely to be seropositive (OR= 7.9; 95 % CI: 3.1, 20.1) than controls. In conclusion, the area-to area variation of brucellosis may be linked to ecological factors and differences in management practices. The implementation of stamping out policy, bleeding and testing animals before movement and promoting the use self-contained units are likely to significantly reduce the public health risks associated with Brucella infections in cattle.

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This retrospective study aimed to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of anthrax and to identify risk areas in Zimbabwe. The data were extracted from the monthly and annual reports of the Division of Livestock Production and Veterinary Services for the period 1967 to 2006. The data were analyzed in relation to temporal and spatial factors. The hot-dry season was found to be significantly (X 2 = 847.8, P< 0.001) associated with the occurrence of anthrax in cattle and the disease was found to be approximately three times more likely to occur during this season compared to other seasons. Anthrax outbreaks demonstrated a gradual temporal increase from an annual mean of 3 outbreaks for the 5-year period (1967)(1968)(1969)(1970)(1971) to 42 for the 5-year period (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006). Similarly, the data demonstrated a spatial increase in the number of districts affected by anthrax between 1967 and 2006, with 12 districts affected for the 10-year period (1967)(1968)(1969)(1970)(1971)(1972)(1973)(1974)(1975)(1976) that expanded to 42 districts for the 10-year period (1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006). The majority of outbreaks (83.7%) were recorded in rural areas and eleven districts were found to be at a higher risk than others. There is need to develop differential vaccination strategy, other control strategies and preventive recommendations to reduce anthrax in high risk districts. In the medium to low risk districts, maintenance of effective surveillance systems and improvement of awareness is very important to detect and contain outbreaks early.