title: Livestock mortality in pastoralist herds in Ethiopia and implications for drought response.
abstract: Participatory epidemiology methods were employed retrospectively in three pastoralist regions of Ethiopia to estimate the specific causes of excess livestock mortality during drought. The results showed that starvation/dehydration accounted for between 61.5 and 100 per cent of excess livestock mortality during drought, whereas disease-related mortality accounted for between 0 and 28.1 per cent of excess mortality. Field observations indicate that, in livestock, disease risks and mortality increase in the immediate post-drought period, during rain. The design of livelihoods-based drought response programmes should include protection of core livestock assets, and it should take account of the specific causes of excess livestock mortality during drought and immediately afterwards. This study shows that, when comparing livestock feed supplementation and veterinary support, relatively more aid should be directed at the former if the objective is to protect core livestock during drought. Veterinary support should consider disease-related mortality in the immediate post-drought period, and tailor inputs accordingly.
authors.affiliation: Research Director at the Feinstein International Center, Tufts University Africa Regional Office, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Catley
authors.forename: Berhanu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Admassu
authors.forename: Gezu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bekele
authors.forename: Dawit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abebe
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D000818:Animals; D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends; D003681:Dehydration / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary; D055864:Droughts / Q000401:mortality*; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D058751:Livestock; D012066:Relief Work / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013217:Starvation / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: Ethiopia; drought; excess mortality; livelihoods-based programming; livestock mortality