Symptoms of East Coast Fever
Tick-borne parasitic disease. Kills 1 million cattle annually in East Africa. Prevention: regular dipping and vaccination.
Early recognition is critical. Watch for fever, a drop in appetite, separation from the herd, reduced milk yield, and any animal that is unusually dull or reluctant to move. Because East Coast Fever is a critical, fast-moving disease, treat any sudden cluster of sick or dead animals as a possible outbreak and contact a veterinary officer immediately.
Treatment
East Coast Fever is a notifiable disease in most African countries. The first step on suspicion is to isolate affected animals and report to the authorities — do not move or sell suspect stock, as this spreads the disease and can carry legal penalties.
Supportive care — shade, clean water, soft feed, and treatment of secondary infections — improves survival in many cases. Some African breeds carry useful natural resistance to East Coast Fever, including the Boran. Choosing resistant or tolerant breeds is a legitimate, low-cost control strategy in high-risk areas.
Prevention & control
- Biosecurity: Quarantine newly bought animals for 2–4 weeks before mixing them with your herd.
- Vector control: Control ticks through regular dipping or spraying — this is the single most effective measure for tick-borne disease.
- Herd immunity: Keep vaccinations current and maintain good nutrition — well-fed animals withstand disease far better.
- Breed choice: In hotspots, favour breeds with known tolerance.
Vaccination
There is no single, widely available routine vaccine that reliably prevents East Coast Fever across Africa, so control depends mainly on parasite and vector management, biosecurity, and prompt treatment. Discuss the latest options with your veterinary service, as availability changes by country.
Economic impact
East Coast Fever (ECF) is rated a critical threat to African herds. Beyond direct losses from death and treatment, critical diseases can shut a country out of export markets overnight, collapsing prices for every owner — not just those whose animals are infected. For an owner, every prevented case protects both the individual animal's value and the productivity of the whole herd. Knowing the price of your stock — see our market prices — makes the cost of prevention easy to justify.