Kenya: Rift Valley Fever - What Kenya Needs to Do

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Kenya: Rift Valley Fever - What Kenya Needs to Do

The Nation (Nairobi)
February 11, 2007
Posted to the web February 12, 2007
Hassan Oda Hulufo
Nairobi

The outbreak of the Rift Valley fever, with the epicentre in Garissa, has caused untold suffering to thousands of people in North-eastern, Eastern, Central, Coast and, more recently, Rift Valley provinces.

For the residents of the affected areas the situation is already a disaster since they cannot cope with its fast spread. For instance, the closure of livestock markets in the affected districts and the ban on the consumption of livestock products have undermined households' ability to feed themselves and educate their children.

The Government should ensure that all the children go to school school due to lack of fees as their parents struggle with the disease.

It is reported that hundreds of pupils have not reported to secondary schools in most pastoral districts due to the ban on livestock trade. And as the disease continues to spread to most parts of the country, people who depend on livestock rearing for their livelihood are finding it difficult to meet their basic needs.

Response to the outbreak has not been swift enough due to lack of contingency measures or preparedness.

It is amazing that, according to the department of veterinary services, we had no vaccine at the time of outbreak. Ye the country had an outbreak of the same disease as recently as the el Nino rains of 1997-98.

This speaks volumes about the level of disaster preparedness in Kenya. It is even more disturbing since ours is a country whose economy is largely based on agriculture.

The fever and many other livestock diseases such as the foot-and-mouth, anthrax and black quarters do not affect only the farmers, but also economy since they result in a boycott of our livestock products by our trading partners.

The seriousness with which the Government responds to the outbreaks also determines for how long the boycott will last.

The latest outbreak should be a wake-up call to the Government to formulate a comprehensive disaster management policy.

Our commitment as a country to investing in disaster risk reduction, as outlined in the Hyogo framework of action and AU/NEPAD framework for safe and resilient communities should go beyond rhetoric.

The country should move from reactive response to disasters to proactive.

This requires incorporating risk reduction measures in all development interventions and having a contingency plan for all probable hazards on the basis of what has been experienced in different parts of the country.

For this to be achieved comprehensive disaster risk assessment coordinated by the Government through a designated agency needs to be undertaken to inform the integration of risk reduction in all development programmes/projects and prepare contingency plans for hazard events.

The interested partes in various sectors with technical support from the relevant ministries will then ensure disaster risk reduction becomes part and parcel of all their development interventions.

Contingency plans should also be put in place for effective response to any hazard events. This will entail targeting high-risk groups during normal times to reduce their susceptibility to hazards and strengthening response structures that will continuously collect early warning data and coordinate contingent actions at appropriate times to minimise any hazard's negative effects.

It should be emphasised that target communities play a central role in all disaster risk efforts, from assessment to the implementation of the measures or interventions.

To minimise the negative impact of future Rift Valley fever outbreaks, we need to adopt a proactive approach of reducing its risk.

We already know the causal agent, mode of transmission, trend of occurrence as well as high-risk areas and groups. We only need to establish what needs to be done before the rains in terms of preparing the vulnerable communities.
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Livestock traders hard hit by Rift Valley Fever

<SMALL>Written By:Mark Kemoli , Posted: Mon, Feb 12, 2007</SMALL>


Livestock traders in Moyale district are losing an estimated 4.8 million shillings per week following closure of livestock market and their products due the deadly rift Valley Fever outbreak.

The most affected area by the ban is the education sector with many students still at home due to lack of school fees.

Parents in the area have appealed to veterinary officers to review the situation and open the markets.

However, area veterinary officer Dr. Ekhuya Amutete said the markets in the district would remain closed until the situation is fully contained.

Dr. Amutete said that veterinary officers were still on the ground doing surveillance work and also monitoring the situation.

The pastoralists have called on the Government to intensify restocking exercise adding that locally sourced breads should be encouraged citing high mortality rate for animals from outside the district.

http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=40777

 

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Re: Kenya: Rift Valley Fever - What Kenya Needs to Do

Five more die of Rift Valley Fever
http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143964802

By Standard Team


Five people, including four members of a family died of the dreaded Rift Valley Fever in Tana River and Baringo districts.


The five died as the Ministry of health warned Kenyans against handling animals suspected to be infected with the disease.


Dr Jack Nyamongo of National Public Health Laboratory Services/National Blood Transfusion Services said it was important not to handle material from infected animals.


He said veterinary officers at Kabete were testing samples from a cow confiscated in Ruai at the weekend to establish if the animal was infected with the deadly virus.


Last evening, the Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Joseph Musaa, said initial results indicated that the cow was suffering from a lumpy skin disease.


The four family members succumbed to the killer fever after attending a traditional wedding in Tana River on Monday.


The victims developed symptoms of the disease before bleeding to death barely two days after feasting on camel meat at the wedding ceremony in Anole village, Madogo division. Three of the victims died in the manyattas, while the fourth one was pronounced dead on arrival at Garissa Provincial General Hospital, where 21 other villagers were hospitalised.


North Eastern Provincial Medical Officer of Health, Dr Omar Ahmed, said more than 20 other villagers who attended the weekend function had been put under observation after developing symptoms of the disease.


He said most of the affected villagers were treated but subjected to periodic check-ups. Three of them were admitted at an isolation unit in the facility.


Omar regretted that most of the fresh cases reported over the last two weeks followed disregard of the slaughter ban.


Madogo DO, Mr George Omolo, said villagers reported the matter after three of the women who prepared the camel meat collapsed and bled to death.


Preliminary reports indicated that the camel had been bought, Omolo said.
He said the pastoralist who sold the animal was among those retained for specialised treatment at the hospital.


Panicky villagers, including those who ate cooked meat thronged local health centres to establish their RVF status.


This brings to 114 the number of deaths reported in northern Kenya since the outbreak of the disease two months ago.


In Baringo District the 18-year-old man died bringing the death toll in the area to 16 in the district.



Medical Officer of Health, Dr George Otieno, said the man who had been receiving treatment at Kimalel Health Centre died on Saturday.


Nationally, 150 people have died of the disease in the past two months.


Otieno said a team of health workers had been dispatched to the affected villages in Marigat and Kiserian divisions to fight the disease.


He named the most affected villages where the fever has taken its toll as Ngambo location, Sindan, Sandai, Logumgum and Salabani all in Marigat division and some parts of Mukutani division.


He said the government has supplied the district with 500 mosquito nets and insecticides.


But Otieno said the chemicals were still lying at chemical stores in Kabarnet town, as the Government has not released money to hire casual workers to spray houses in the affected areas.


Baringo Central MP, Mr Gideon Moi, visited patients in Kimalel and Marigat sub-district hospitals and distributed more than 2,000 mosquito nets.


At the same time, farmers in Nakuru have asked the Government to declare the fever a national disaster.


Farmers meeting in Nakuru said yesterday criticised the Livestock Development ministry in the way it handled the matter.


Meanwhile, fears of the disease spreading in Meru Central have led to an order of closure of all abattoirs and butcheries in the area.


District veterinary officer, Dr Daniel Karugu, said samples from several suspected cows are being analysed.


Neighbouring districts of Isiolo, Meru North and Meru South have reported cases of the disease.

 

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Kenya: Five Arrested as They Attempt to Slaughter a Cow Infected with Rift Valley Fever

The East African Standard (Nairobi)
February 11, 2007
Posted to the web February 12, 2007
Martin Mutua And Samuel Otieno
Nairobi
Five people were arrested as they tried to ferry a sick cow to an unknown destination.


Acting on a tip off from members of public, police, led by Kayole deputy OCPD, Mr Maurice Kiplagat, on Sunday intercepted the five near Ruai sewerage, in Nairobi.

Police suspect that the cow, suspected to be suffering from the Rift Valley fever, was being transported to an unknown destination for slaughter.


The suspects were found with a canopy, sharp knives and gumboots in the pickup that was transporting the cow.


However, the five denied the allegations, saying they were taking the cow to Njiru slaughterhouse.


Kiplagat said the suspects were locked up at Ruai police station awaiting investigation. He appealed to the veterinary department to visit the police station to establish what the cow was suffering from.


Meanwhile, the Union of Civil Servants has said Government veterinary doctors who contract diseases while in line of duty will in future be paid.
A union official said plans are underway to include the veterinary doctors to benefit from the civil servants risk allowance.


The Union Secretary General, Mr Alfred Khang'ati, said negotiations are ongoing between the Government and the union's officials to enhance better terms and salaries for all civil servants.


Barely three days ago, a veterinary doctor died of the Rift Valley fever.


It was suspected the deceased contracted the fever while performing a post-mortem examination on a goat that had died of it.

Elsewhere the Government is yet to lift a ban on the sale of meat and milk in Kirinyaga District, two weeks after it directed that all butcheries and milk bars be closed down.


The Ministry of Health officials and provincial administrators directed the ban after two people died in the district.


A spot-check by The Standard, revealed that all butcheries are still closed.


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Kenya: Colleagues And Villagers in Shock As Vet Succumbs to Rift Valley Fever

The Nation (Nairobi)
February 12, 2007
Posted to the web February 12, 2007
George Munene And Muchemi Wachira
Nairobi
When veterinarian Chrisphine Chomba tested positive for Rift Valley Fever, his professional colleagues were dumb-founded.


Due to the nature of his work, he was regarded as a source of hope for millions of Kenyans threatened by the disease.

Dr Chomba, who was buried last weekend at his Kagio home in Kirinyaga District, was infected last month while performing a postmortem examination on a neighbour's goat with bare hands.


Dr Chomba, 46, was a lecturer at Animal Health and Industry Training Institute (Ahiti-Ndomba) in Kirinyaga, a few kilometres from his home.


Like most civil servants, veterinarians are poorly paid compared to their colleagues in human medicine. To supplement his income, Dr Chomba used to treat animals in his village and the surrounding areas for a fee.


While at home on January 29, Mr Elijah Maina, a neighbour, approached him. His goat had died and the farmer wanted him to establish the cause of its death.


By then, fear had gripped district residents following the outbreak of the disease.


At least a person had died and no one wanted to take any chances.
It is believed that the veterinarian contracted the disease during the operation.


"He carried out the postmortem without gloves, which are part of the protective gadgets," Veterinary Association of Kenya chairman Christopher Wanga points out.


One of his hands, Dr Wanga says, "may have had an open wound, and due to direct contact with the animal's fluids, he may have contracted the disease that way."


Dr Wanga says his colleague was taken ill a week after the operation. "He was diagnosed as suffering from the Rift Valley Fever," he adds.


On January 30, Dr Chomba, was admitted to Karira Mission Hospital after his condition worsened. He sweated profusely and suffered severe stomach pains and eventually succumbed to the illness the following day as medics tried to save his life.


Dr Chomba was the first veterinarian to succumb to the disease since it broke out.


Mr Maina said Dr Chomba did not charge him for the operation. "I was shocked when news went round that Dr Chomba fell sick and died," he said.
The farmer recalled how public health officials visited his home immediately the vetenarian died and took family members' blood samples for analysis, sending shock waves in the homestead.


Although Mr Maina and his family members have not shown any signs of the fever, they live in fear as they await the results.


"We are not happy until the results are out to clear us from the disease which has claimed the life of our great friend, who was always available whenever we had a problem related to our animals.


"He treated our animals at a reasonable fee during his free time and those who could not afford to pay, he gave them free services," he said.


Mr Johnson Muthee, a villager, said the residents were shocked over the death of the doctor whom they described as humble, hard-working and generous.


Mr Muthee said the doctor led a simple life and interacted well with the villagers.


"We have not been taking the outbreak of the disease seriously, but now we do because of our departed friend," Mr Muthee said.

His death, is a pointer to the hazards veterinarians are exposed to.
"Although we can say Dr Chomba's case is part of the professional hazards we encounter, it also points to the raw deal the Government has given veterinarians compared to our colleagues in human medicine," Dr Wanga states.


The Veterinary Department is heavily understaffed and is allocated Sh200 million, considered insufficient by Dr Wanga. "We are always at risk when carrying out our job yet we don't have a risk allowance. Now that a colleague has died while conducting his professional duties, we are requesting the Treasury to give us a risk allowance," he says.


He notes that ailments such as Foot and Mouth, Anthrax, and Sleeping Sickness are dangerous to treat.

 

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Re: Kenya: Rift Valley Fever - What Kenya Needs to Do

Tanzania: Concern Among Pastoralists As Viral Fever Spreads

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
February 12, 2007
Posted to the web February 12, 2007


Dar Es Salaam

Reports that the viral fever, which has killed at least 100 people in neighbouring Kenya, had spread into Tanzania have caused mounting concern, especially among pastoralists who depend on livestock for their livelihood.


After reports that two people in the northern region of Arusha had died of Rift Valley Fever (RVF), the government on Thursday announced measures to curb the spread of the viral disease, including a ban on the movement of cattle and other livestock between Kenya and Tanzania.

"What's gone wrong with our society [that] dangerous and highly contagious diseases continue to attack us?" asked Mwanamkasi Subira, a food vendor in Dar es Salaam, the country's commercial capital. "It has been very difficult to eradicate malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes, now this is another big challenge for us."


RVF is an animal viral disease, which also affects human beings. It was first detected in 1930 in Kenya's Rift Valley region. The last outbreak occurred in Kenya in 1997, coinciding with El-Ni-o rains because the disease is generally observed when there is heavy rainfall and flooding, which increase the breeding of mosquitoes that transmit the virus to humans.


According to the Arusha-based Veterinary Investigations Centre, northern zone, people can become infected with RVF by coming into contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected animal, drinking unboiled milk from an infected animal or being bitten by an infected mosquito.


The first symptoms in humans include headache, fever, muscle pain, backache and vomiting. Some people develop stiff necks and photophobia. Other symptoms include vomiting blood, bleeding from the nose and bloody stool.


The latest outbreak began in November in northern Kenya. The only outbreak in Tanzania was reported in the 1990s, also in the north of the country.


The government estimates there are at least 18 million head of cattle in the country, with most livestock-keepers being nomads who move around the country in search of grazing fields.


Livestock farmers and traders often walk with their animals for hundreds of kilometres to markets in cities and municipalities where they fetch good prices for their products.


Subira has found reports about RVF confusing; she is particularly afraid because the disease is easily transmitted.


Rashidi Matonya, a butcher in Mombasa area in Dar es Salaam, said reports of the disease having spread to the country came as a big blow to his business.


"People are scared," he said. "They are reluctant to buy meat, some insist on being shown the blue stamp of meat inspectors."


Venance Balama, the acting Arusha Regional Commissioner, said last week: "The disease has already caused two deaths. The victims reportedly ate mutton at Terat village in Monduli District."


He said samples from the two victims were sent to the Nairobi-based Centers for Disease Control laboratories and the results confirmed they had died of RVF.


Regarding the measures announced by the government aimed at curbing the spread of the disease, Dar es Salaam sociologist Upendo Mwinchande said: "Restricting movements of livestock will deal a major blow to both owners and traders."


Veterinary officials in Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Morogoro and Tanga regions have collected blood samples from hundreds of cattle, sheep and goats, which have been sent to the Chief Chemist Laboratories in Dar es Salaam for testing.


The Minister for Livestock Development, Anthony Diallo, and Health Minister David Mwakyusa toured several villages in Arusha region on Wednesday to assess the preventative measures being taken.


Besides banning the movement of cattle and other livestock between Kenya and Tanzania, Diallo also ordered government authorities across the country to restrict the internal movement of livestock.


"Nobody is allowed to move livestock from one district to another unless he obtains express permission from the relevant authorities," he said.


Mwakyusa said medical supplies had already been sent to Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Morogoro and Tanga regions.


Meanwhile, many people continue to avoid buying meat and its products for fear of contracting the disease.


"I am terribly scared," Didas Muyolo, a schoolteacher in Dar es Salaam, said. "If it comes here, it will kill many people."


[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]
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