Causes of Disease

1.3 CAUSES of Disease Disease is anything that causes an animal to be less productive than normal.

But what causes disease?

A calf begins to breathe with difficulty and cannot stand up. Why does this happen?

The local people say it is because the owner has done something wrong, and the traditional healer must drive out an evil spirit from the calf.

The livestock advisor says it is because the calf is kept in a dark, damp pen and does not have fresh air to breathe.

The veterinary doctor says it is because the calf has a lung infection.

A community development worker say it is because there is no public grazing land and the calf does not get enough to eat.

People with different backgrounds and training may have different points of view.

So who is correct? Indeed, several factors were causing sickness in this calf. The calf was sick because it had a lung infection. The calf was probably more prone to getting the lung infection because it was kept in a dark, damp pen with no fresh air and was not getting enough to eat.

To make good and safe use of this book, please read on....

Diseases can be divided into groups according to:

the DURATION of the disease, the SYSTEM that the disease affects, and the CAUSE.

5 To make good use of this book, and to safely use the recommended medicines, please read this chapter to help understand some basic principles about disease and their causes.