Anthrax claims first victim in Binga
ONE person has died while 11 others are being treated for suspected
anthrax after consuming meat from hippos that died a fortnight ago in
Binga’s Mlibizi area.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has since deployed a team to Binga
to fight the outbreak.
Anthrax is a life-threatening infectious disease caused by bacteria that
normally affects animals.
Matabeleland North Provincial Medical Director Dr Nyasha Masuka said the
death of a 19-year-old man at Siansundu Clinic on Wednesday is suspected
to be related to an anthrax outbreak in the area.
binga on zim map
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“A man who showed signs and symptoms of anthrax admitted to have eaten
hippo meat which he was given by a relative living in Saba ward. Anthrax
infected hippos started dying as from March 27 and this man consumed the
meat on April 12. He had ulcers on the mouth and face and complained of
severe headaches. He visited the hospital a few days ago and died within
seven days,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that our health team focused on Saba ward villagers
only hence this man from a neighbouring village was least suspected to
have anthrax because they were not aware of the outbreak.”
Dr Masuka said health officials were facing a challenge in fighting the
outbreak as villagers were not opening up or being honest as to whether
they consumed the meat from the hippos or not .
He said 1, 5 kilogrammes of hippo meat was found mixed with 45
kilogrammes of goat meat on sale in a butchery at Binga Centre and has
since been destroyed to eliminate human contact with the infected meat.
dead hippo
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“We had dispatched a team which went into Saba village and had to check
for signs and symptoms on the villagers’ bodies after many denied to
have eaten the meat.
“It is after receiving the report on the now deceased that we realised
we had to re-check all people in the surrounding villages. Apparently,
they are now opening up to have shared the meat with relatives in
neighbouring villages,” said Dr Masuka.
He said awareness campaigns will be intensified to warn villagers of
dangers associated with eating meat from animals that die under unclear
circumstances.
“They are also being notified of the signs and symptoms of human anthrax
so that the affected seek treatment as soon as possible,” Dr Masuku said.
He said there were 58 villagers, including children, whom health workers
were following up on for possible infection.
“We have so far treated 11 people from Siansundu village for anthrax and
our teams are closely monitoring 58 others who also ate meat from the
dead hippos for any signs or symptoms of the disease. The samples were
sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Harare for confirmation,”
Dr Masuka said.
By Whinsley Masara
