GALVmed meets… Ruben Mushao
Ruben Mushao lives in Mundara village in Longido District, a Maasai area in Tanzania. Since he began vaccinating his calves against East Coast fever, the number of his cows increased from 300 to almost 1000 despite the drought.
East Coast fever has a high mortality rate with cows and the disease is rife in many parts of Tanzania. If he had not immunised his herd, “I believe the number would have been 300 cows as it had been for past years.”
Today, Ruben earns a comfortable income from selling his cows. He owns two houses, a shop in his village that sells everyday household goods, a tractor that he also rents out to other farmers, and a car. He was also able to send his 28 children to school and university. “My ambition is for my children to go to school and work in the cities and not to depend on cattle.”