Author: Lénaïg Halos, Benson Ameda, Marie Ducrotoy, Liezl Kock. Musa Mulongo, John Muthee, Patrick Vudriko, Mike Howe, Alec Evans, Michael Fletcher, Abel Biguezoton, the Multistakeholder Working Group on Parasiticide Access
Year: 2025
About this Publication:
Livestock systems support more than 60% of rural households in sub-Saharan Africa and are essential for the nutrition, income, and resilience of smallholder farmers, yet they do not currently meet the continent’s needs. As the region’s population is projected to nearly double by 2050, demand for animal-derived foods is expected to almost triple, placing unprecedented pressure on the continent’s livestock systems that already have low productivity. Boosting Africa’s livestock productivity is about closing a critical gap in food security, rural incomes, and climate adaptation. Parasites remain one of the top threats to such effort. Globally, parasites adversely impact livestock and human health and livelihoods, and the burden is particularly acute in Africa. Endemic parasitic diseases of ruminants, including tick and tick-borne diseases, animal trypanosomosis, and gastrointestinal helminth infections, remain among the most significant impediments to livestock productivity and are responsible for more than US$5 billion in losses annually. In arid and semi-arid regions, gastrointestinal helminth infections in large ruminants raised by pastoralists drive higher food intake, exacerbating overgrazing and soil erosion. The impact of parasites is likely to grow as climate change expands the habitats of vector or free-living parasites and drug resistance rises. Effective, convenient, and affordable treatment options, alongside environmentally sustainable control measures, are key to addressing this challenge.
Grant: TAHSSL
Subject Areas: Policy and Advocacy
URL https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471492225003034
