Tanzania: Rift Valley Fever, current developments

[sharon sanders]

Rift Valley Fever Kills Two Tanzanians as Outbreak Spreads
2007-02-06 23:41 (New York)


By Jason Gale
Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Rift Valley fever killed two people
in Tanzania, marking the spread to a third country in the Horn
of Africa of an outbreak that began in Kenya in December.
The latest fatalities occurred in Tanzania's northern
region of Arusha, the United Nations Integrated Regional
Information Network said yesterday.
El Nino-induced torrential rains expanded the breeding
ground for the Aedes mosquito, which transmit Rift Valley fever
to livestock and people. Health workers are concerned there will
be a repeat of an outbreak of the fever in 1997 that infected
thousands of people in Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania.
``Health authorities were sent to villages along the
Tanzania-Kenya border to keep a close watch on activities
there,'' Evance Balama, the acting Arusha regional commissioner,
told the UN information service.
Rift Valley fever killed at least 170 people in Kenya since
mid December and spread to Somalia, where the World Health
Organization is investigating 100 suspected cases, including 48
deaths. The last major outbreak, also linked to floods caused by
an El Nino weather pattern, also spread to the Arabian Peninsula,
causing an epidemic in 2000.
The most common symptoms in human Rift Valley fever
infections are fever and muscle aches. In fewer cases, it can
cause hemorrhage, inflammation of the brain and vision
impairment. About 1 percent of people infected die.
During outbreaks, people may become sick either by being
bitten by infected mosquitoes, or through contact with the blood,
other body fluids or organs of animals, such as during the care
or slaughtering of infected animals, or possibly from the
ingestion of raw milk.
The patients in Tanzania became ill after eating mutton,
the UN information service said. The Tanzanian Ministry of
Livestock Development published a notice in newspapers asking
people, especially in regions bordering Kenya, to avoid eating
unchecked meat.
``People should stop consuming raw milk sold by hawkers in
Arusha,'' Balama was quoted as saying.

--Editor: Tighe

Story illustration: For more stories on Kenya, see
{NI KENYA <GO>} For today's top health stories, see {HTOP
<GO>}

 

[Sharpe]

Re: Africa speculation

Re: Africa speculation

http://english.people.com.cn/200702/11/eng20070211_349171.html
UPDATED: 12:40, February 11, 2007
Four hospitalized in N.Tanzania for suspected RVF infection
font size ZoomIn ZoomOut

Four people have been hospitalized in a north Tanzanian hospital for fear of having contracted the Rift Valley Fever disease, according to reports on Saturday.

Local English newspaper Daily News quoted Arusha Regional Medical Officer Naftari King'ori as confirming that the four people had been admitted into the Mount Meru Hospital, where the country's first two victims of the disease died on Jan. 31.

Tanzanian Prime Minister Edward Lowassa called on local government officials to coordinate efforts to contain the spread of the disease.

He told lawmakers on Friday in Dodoma that the government had already ordered vaccines and would soon start vaccinating livestock in the country that has a cattle population of 18.5 million.

Tanzania has already banned livestock movement to and from neighboring Kenya and started scrutinizing all livestock meant for human consumption after the disease had killed two local residents and a Kenyan visiting northern Tanzania.

In 1998, the Rift Valley Fever broke out in Arusha following a similar outbreak in Kenya and the disease killed at least 10 people between January and March that year.

The Rift Valley Fever is a viral disease that affects mainly animals such as cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats. But it can also affect humans.

The disease is most common during years of heavy rainfalls.

Source: Xinhua

 

[Snowy Owl]

Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever
http://allafrica.com/stories/200702180026.html

Arusha Times (Arusha)
​

What is Rift Valley Fever (RVF)?
Rift Valley Fever is a disease which primarily affects animals, but occasionally causes disease in humans. It may cause disease in both animals and humans leading to a lot of deaths.

What causes Rift Valley Fever?
This is caused by a virus which was first isolated in 1930 in the Rift Valley of Kenya.

Has there been an outbreak of RVF before?
During the El Nino of 1997/1998, there was a major outbreak in Kenya. A similar outbreak was reported in 1951.

How is it transmitted among animals?
RVF virus is primarily spread amongst animals by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Many types of animals may be infected with RVF, including cattle, sheep, camels and goats.

How is it transmitted from animals to humans?
1. Direct contact with infected animals or infected products e.g. blood, milk, meat, etc.
2. Through the bites of mosquitoes which may have fed on infected animals. (Many different species of mosquitoes e.g. Aedes, Culex, even Anopheles are vectors for the RVF virus.

Do people get sick immediately they are bitten by the mosquitoes?
No, it may take 2-6 days before they start showing signs/symptoms of the disease.

What are the signs and symptoms of the disease?
This may include:

- Sudden onset high body temperature (fever)
- Headache
- Muscle pain and/or - backache
- Vomiting

In severe cases, one may get:
- Eye disease
- Meningitis (meningo-encephalitis) inflammation of the brain and surrounding tissue.
- Bleeding tendencies (such as vomiting blood, passing blood in the faeces, bleeding in the skin and bleeding from the gums).

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

TANZANIA - Rift Valley Fever

TANZANIA - Rift Valley Fever

Tanzania: Rift Valley Fever Spreads, Death Toll Up

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

March 20, 2007

Posted to the web March 20, 2007

Dar Es Salaam

An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) has killed 16 people and infected at least 100 in Tanzania, spreading to more regions, Health Minister David Mwakyusa said on Tuesday.

Mwakyusa said the central region of Dodoma was the worst affected by the mosquito-borne illness, which spreads from infected livestock to humans. The disease had also claimed lives in Arusha and Manyara regions, which border on Kenya, where a RVF outbreak killed at least 154 people between December 2006 and February 2007. Up to 41 people are still receiving treatment in hospitals in Tanzania after developing RVF symptoms.


Veterinary officials in Kenya have since reported that an ongoing livestock vaccination campaign has stemmed the spread of the disease in that country. A ban imposed by the Kenyan government on the slaughter of livestock in the affected areas has been lifted, but a restriction on livestock movement from 33 districts where cases of the disease had been reported is still in force.

Mwakyusa said there was no RVF vaccine for humans and advised the public to be careful when handling meat and other livestock products and the carcasses of dead animals.

"I am not asking you to avoid eating meat, but make sure that it is inspected by relevant health authorities. Don't eat nyamafu [dead animals] or sick ones. Avoid slaughtering animals when they are sick and about to die," Mwakyusa, a former professor of medicine, told reporters on Monday when he visited Dodoma.

Tanzanian authorities imported RVF vaccines from South Africa in February and embarked on a livestock vaccination campaign in affected areas in a bid to stop the spread of the disease.

The RVF virus is spread to humans from livestock via the aedes mosquito, which breeds rapidly during floods. It can be transmitted through contact with infected animal material, such as blood or organs. Consumption of milk, a staple for many pastoral people, is also thought to lead to infection. Symptoms in humans include bleeding through the nose and mouth, and liver failure.

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

http://allafrica.com/stories/200703200478.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: TANZANIA, Rift Valley Fever, march 20 2007+

Re: TANZANIA, Rift Valley Fever, march 20 2007+

Date: 22 Mar 2007

RVF death toll rises to 18 in Tanzania

DAR ES SALAAM, Mar 22, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The Rift Valley Fever- caused deaths in Tanzania have risen to 18 as two more people died of the disease on Wednesday in Dodoma.

Local English newspaper The Citizen on Thursday reported from the country's designated capital city that two more people had died of the deadly disease that already claimed the lives of 13 Dodoma residents as of Monday this week.

Countrywide, three others have so far died of the disease that first broke out in neighboring Kenya and spread into northern Tanzania earlier this year.

Early this week Tanzanian Health Minister David Mwakyusa confirmed that apart from the deaths 79 people were suspected to have contracted the deadly virus.

These deaths and infections scattered in the country's Arusha, Dodoma, Manyara and Tanga regions, three of them being in the north and one in the middle.

The Arusha region was the first in Tanzania to have reported RVF-caused deaths in early February, after two people were found dead on Jan. 31 in the region.

In 1998, the Rift Valley Fever broke out in Arusha following a similar outbreak in Kenya and the disease killed at least 10 people in Tanzania between January and March that year.

The Rift Valley Fever, most common during years of heavy rainfalls, is a viral disease that affects mainly animals such as cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats. But it can also affect humans.

People get RVF mainly from bites of infected mosquitoes and the disease can also be spread through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected animal.

Rift Valley Fever can cause serious eye infection, inflammation of the brain, severe bleeding (hemorrhage) and death.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/JBRN-6ZJJGV?OpenDocument

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Ministers, RCs scratch heads as RVF spreads

2007-04-02 09:35:20
By Frank Mbunda


Cabinet ministers and regional commissioners from six regions will today meet in Dodoma to draw up a result-oriented strategy for countering the spread of the life-threatening Rift Valley Fever (RVF).

The gathering of high-profile government officials comes in the wake of increasing RVF infection in Dodoma and a number of upcountry regions, including Manyara, Arusha and Morogoro.

Reliable sources told The Guardian that the Minister of Livestock Development, Anthony Diallo, will meet six regional commissioners in an attempt to map out strategies to fight the outbreak, which has already claimed over 33 lives.

Regions to be represented include Arusha, Iringa, Manyara, Tanga and Singida.

Confirmed reports say the one-day meeting will also involve two other ministers, namely Prof. David Mwakyusa (Health and Social Welfare) and Mizengo Pinda (Local Government and Regional Administration).

�I cannot comment anything regarding the RVF. We are having a meeting with the ministers in Dodoma to discuss the RVF outbreak and related issues,� said the Director of Livestock Services Department in the Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr. Johnson Mollel.

The first RVF case was first reported in Arusha. It then spread to other regions of Manyara, Tanga, Dodoma, Morogoro and Dar es Salaam.

President Jakaya Kikwete recently urged members of the public to take precautionary measures against the threat.

http://www.ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2007/04/02/87599.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

State of RVF spread bad, says Dodoma RC

2007-04-13 10:59:50
By Privatus Lipili, PST, Dodoma


Many of the Rift Valley Fever patients admitted to hospitals and health centres here are in critical condition, Dodoma Regional Commissioner William Lukuvi has revealed.

He made the revelation in remarks on his recent tour of health facilities across the region to assess the magnitude of epidemic, which has claimed a national total of 33 lives.

The RC was addressing a meeting of guesthouse and hotel owners here on Tuesday, amid reports that the deadly viral disease was digging in.

Dodoma is the region worst hit by the RVF outbreak, and Lukuvi appealed to government officials, businesspeople, owners of guest houses and members of the public to step up measures to help prevent the spread of the disease.

�We cannot enjoy ourselves while our voters are suffering.

We have to relieve them of the problem,� observed the RC, his appeal coming at a time when the National Assembly is ending the first half of its ordinary two-week meeting here.

Giving what he said were the latest figures, Lukuvi said the region has 56 RVF patients admitted to health facilities, adding: �The situation is critical.

Some patients have been confined to hospital beds for months but still show few signs of getting better.�

The RC explained that most patients are unconscious, some having been in bed for over two months, noting: �Medical officers and other staff are doing what best they can do to arrest the situation but things remain bad indeed.

Those religious leaders endowed with God�s healing powers should pray for those (RVF) patients who have lost the ability to pray for themselves.�

Meanwhile, Lukuvi used the occasion to order authorities in the region to arrest anyone found eating meat that veterinary experts have not screened and passed as fit for human consumption.

There have been reports of some bars and restaurants here selling roast meat despite a government ban and countrywide public education campaign meant to alert wananchi against such behaviour.

RVF is an acute, fever-causing viral disease that affects both livestock and humans.

It hit parts of northern Tanzania in February after filtering in from Kenya, leading to human and animal deaths and threatening the livelihood of pastoralist communities in both countries.

The Nairobi-based Centre for Disease Control confirmed the presence of RVF in Tanzania on February 1 after testing samples collected by the Livestock Development ministry in Arusha.

Abortions feared to be RVF-induced have been reported among livestock herds in Kilosa, Tarime, Monduli and Simanjiro districts.

Joint response and control measures are overseen and coordinated by the Livestock Development and Health and Social Welfare ministries, local governments and NGOs. However, quarantines and livestock deaths threaten to prevent pastoralists from benefiting from the ongoing rains and the resultant good pasture conditions.

The government is planning to spend an estimated 15bn/- fighting RVF and 1.7bn/- has already been spent on ordering vaccines from abroad, Prime Minister Edward Lowassa and Livestock Development minister Anthony Diallo said recently.

As of March 31 this year, 200,441 head of cattle, 81,945 goats and 37, 773 sheep had showed RVF symptoms around the country.

Reports released a few weeks after the outbreak said 568 head of cattle, 1,063 goats and 434 sheep had died after developing symptoms similar to those of RVF.

http://www.ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2007/04/13/88338.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Tanzania: Govt needs USD 12mto fight Rift Valley Fever - minister

Fri. April 13, 2007 05:47 pm.- By David Odoki. -

(SomaliNet) The Tanzanian government is seeking USD 12,336,964 from the donor community to enable it fight Rift Valley Fever effectively.

Deputy Tanzanian Minister for Health and Social Welfare Dr Aisha Kigoda told the House yesterday that the government had already involved different stakeholders and the donor community in the fight against the disease, which has so far killed 49 people in the country.

Dr. Kigoda was responding to a question by Ania Said Chaurembo (Special Seats, CUF) who had wanted to know whether the government had put in place long term strategies to fight the disease and prevent its spread to areas which are not affected.

Last month, the Prime Minister Edward Lowassa met with representatives of donor countries and appealed to them to help the government get rid of the disease.

On Thursday Dr Kigoda said in parliament that the donors had expressed readiness to support the government to fight the disease. The disease has been reported in eight regions - Arusha, Manyara, Singida, Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Morogoro, Iringa and Dodoma . The deputy minister said the government had been carrying public campaigns to educate the people, especially the rural folk on the symptoms of the disease.

Dodoma Regional Commissioner William Lukuvi said last week that only 700,000 livestock out of 3 million in the region have been vaccinated since late last month.

Out of the 49 people died of the RVF countrywide, 34 came from Dodoma, making it the most hit region in the country.

The government has already spent 1.7bn/- to buy vaccines.

http://somalinet.com/news/world/East Africa/9451

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

RVF death toll now 89, says PM

2007-04-21 09:14:17

By Juma Thomas, Dodoma


A total of 89 people have so far died of Rift Valley Fever, Prime Minister Edward Lowassa said yesterday.

Adjourning the seventh Bunge session here yesterday, Lowassa said out of the number, 56 were from Dodoma Region.

The PM said some 249 people had contracted the disease since it was first reported in the country in January this year.

He said 73 patients were treated and discharged while 87 are still admitted to hospital.

The PM said Dodoma was the most hit region, with 55 people still being admitted.

He said 46,600 cows, 56,900 goats and 32,800 sheep had been affected by the disease. He said 5,580 cows, 6,866 goat and 3,898 sheep had died of the disease.

The PM said 1,620,000 doses had been received so far and distributed to 37 districts. A total of 1.7bn/- has been spent for the purpose.

He said the government had suspended cattle auctions and made dipping services compulsory in a bid to control the disease.

The government will continue with a public education campaign to educate people on how to avoid the disease.


http://www.ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2007/04/21/88881.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Simanjiro vaccinates 25 000 cows for RVF
<HR align=center width="100%" color=#000000 noShade SIZE=1>

Date: 04/26/07 From: promed-mail​

MORE than 25,000 livestock in Simanjaro District, Manyara Region have been vaccinated against the dreaded Rift Valley Fever (RVF).

A statement issued by the district livestock department said that cattle, goats and sheep from Terrat, Engonongoi, Loswaki, Emboreet and Loiborsoit were vaccinated in two phases. Simanjiro District received 61,000 vaccination doses.

An NGO called VETAID supported the exercise by donating five refrigerators for storing the vaccines. The NGO has also been assisting in repairing the dips as well as supplying some livestock drugs.

The government has been striving to eradicate the RVF, which originated from Kenya and spread over several regions in the country killing a number of people and livestock. The Prime Minister, Mr Edward Lowassa, told the Parliament on Friday that 89 people died of RVF, 59 of them from Dodoma.

He said the government has stepped up efforts to vaccinate livestock in all suspected regions. The government ordered for 2 million vaccination doses from South Africa and 1.6 millions have already been distributed.:tiphat:
http://cdctj.com.cn/main_en/newsmore.php?tblName=A0015_10&storepk=42&newsid=12256​

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=77881&postcount=1

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

It seems one should be carefull when to vaccinate (from ProMed mail):

Date: Fri 23 Mar 2007

From: F. Glyn Davies <fgdvirus@compuserve.com>


[ProMED-mail posting Rift Valley fever, Eastern Africa (23): Tanzania
(Dodoma) 20070320.0983, included the following information:

"Veterinary officials in Kenya said the ongoing domestic animal
vaccination campaign could be the cause of the rampant spread of RVF".
Subsequently, we approached Prof Glyn Davies, a world authority on
RVF, for advise regarding the above concerns and about the evolvement
of the outbreak in Tanzania; we are very grateful for Glyn's
following authoritative commentary. - Mod.AS]

RVF virus has not spread to Dodoma and Morogoro regions from Kenya.
It has been known to be enzootic there for many years, and the data
is recorded in the Tanzanian Veterinary Department annual reports and
various publications. It would have emerged and virus activity would
have been occurring following the excessive rainfall and flooding in
the region late in 2006.

There appears to be a lack of awareness of the basic natural history
of the RVF virus. It is transovarially transmitted in floodwater
breeding _Aedes_ mosquitoes. The virus emerges and amplification will
occur with successive cycles of transmission. Factors affecting this
are the persistence of the flooding and the generation of huge
populations of mosquito species breeding in the floodwater, which are
capable of secondary transmission of the virus. Many _Aedes_,
_Culex_, and other mosquito species can do this. The amplification
cycles will involve the indigenous ruminant populations as feeding
hosts, most of which would be unlikely to manifest any clinical signs
of disease. The length of the acute epidemic curve will depend on the
persistence of the floodwater but is usually of only 3-4 months
duration(*), with some cases lasting for 2-4 more months.

Indigenous sheep, goats, and zebu-type [_Bos indicus_] cattle are
relatively resistant to RVF infection. During this period, clinical
disease in man might be the 1st indication of any RVF virus activity.
RVF disease might also be seen in exotic breeds of cattle and sheep
or goats and their crosses; they would abort and young animals may
show clinical signs of disease. These may not be present in many RVF
enzootic areas in Africa. Without these indicator disease hosts, the
RVF virus activity would be cryptic.

The current epizootic in eastern Africa appears to be following the
expected time scale. There may have been alterations to the curve,
which have followed the effective transmission of virulent RVF virus
caused by the widespread vaccination programmes. These may have
involved hundreds of thousands of animals, which would not have been
otherwise affected.

Vaccination with the Smithburn MLVV (modified live virus vaccine)
strain (**) or any other vaccine is totally contraindicated at any
time when active virus transmission is taking place.

It was for this reason that we developed early warning strategies, to
identify the pre epizootic conditions for RVF (see my various
references) and allow for pre epizootic vaccination programmes to be
carried out before the disease occurs. FAO/EMPRES (Emergency
Prevention System) division in Rome used the predictive model
developed in Kenya, and predicted this epizootic long before it
occurred (August-September 2006, I believe).

Vaccination of animal populations during periods when RVF virus is
actively being transmitted by vectors, will serve to propagate the
virus very effectively by needle passage. The virus is readily
transmitted by infected needles from animal to animal. The apparent
increase in cases in the Dodoma region is likely to be due to this.

The information from our Predictive Models to provide Early Warning
of Epizootic RVF virus activity and to drive Emergency Preparedness
has been our objective.

(*) This is the time period in the flood plains of North-Eastern
Kenya and Somalia. It may recur, sporadically, for around 18 months-2
years after the rains in the highlands and coastal areas of eastern Africa.

(**) The vaccine is cheap and easy to produce but causes problems in
susceptible sheep breeds (abortions and foetal abnormalities in
around 10 percent). It is safe in cattle and non-pregnant animals.

--
F. Glyn Davies MA. PhD (Cantab) MB Vet. MRCVS
<fgdvirus@compuserve.com>

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Tanzania: Five patients die as nurses strike

(SomaliNet) Five Tanzanians are alleged to have died since weekend after nurses attending Rift Valley Fever patients laid down their tools at Dodoma Regional Hospital. They are pressing for payment of hardship allowance.

When this reporter visited the hospital at around 10.00 in the morning yesterday, he saw nurses seated inside the training rooms as they waited for the Regional Medical Officer, while the sick lay unattended.

One of the nurses who talked to The Guardian said she was sad that things had gone that far. The hospital management does not value our contribution. It has refused to pay our hardship allowances, which we are entitled since the outbreak of Rift Valley Fever on February 13 this year,? she said.

The management is said to have issued the nurses with payment vouchers after being pressed, which they were supposed to sign and return to Regional Health Officer Dr. Edward Ganja. The TUGHE secretary at the hospital, Simon Boi, said unnecessary bureaucracy had led to the strike.

Three RVF patients admitted to the hospital died on Sunday and two more died yesterday as nurses continued with their strike.

This brings the death toll so far to 94 since the RVF outbreak occurred early this year. (Guardian)

http://somalinet.com/news/world/East Africa/9884

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

RVF testing lab ready in June

CHARLES KIZIGHA

Daily News; Thursday,April 26, 2007 @00:05

THE first phase of the state-of-the-art multimillion-shilling laboratory to test Rift Valley Fever (RVF) symptoms is expected to be operational on June 1.

When ready, the lab will be able to analyse between 400 and 500 blood samples and tissues from animals and human beings daily. The samples are currently sent to South Africa and Kenya.

The Director of Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL), Dr Sachindra Das, told the ?Daily News? yesterday that the new laboratory, located at Temeke in Dar es Salaam, is jointly being built by the government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which has imported equipment worth 300m/-. He said that the government?s contribution include construction of the building.

It costs around 2m/- to transport and analyse 50 samples. It would be able to produce results of the samples on the same day. Dr Das said that the equipment have already arrived from the US and would be installed soon.

http://www.dailynews-tsn.com/page.php?id=6528

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

RVF shows signs of easing

SOSTHENES MWITA, Dodoma

Daily News; Wednesday,May 02, 2007 @00:02

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) patients admitted to health facilities in Dodoma region have dropped to 35 from 137 last month, indicating significant gains in controlling the killer disease which has wreaked havoc to the meat industry here, the Regional Commissioner, Mr William Lukuvi, has said.

Addressing a May Day rally at the Jamhuri Stadium here yesterday, Mr Lukuvi said by yesterday morning the Dodoma Regional Hospital had 20 RVF patients, Mirembe Hospital 11, Mvumi Mission Hospital had two and Kongwa and Mpwapwa district hospitals had one each. The disease has killed more than 50 people in the region.

However, The RC cautioned against eating meat from sick or dead cows, warning traders to sell only meat certified by health and veterinary officers. Some patients have been in coma since last February, he warned.

The RC also said that business at the Dodoma abattoir was picking up "slowly." He said the abattoir, with capacity to slaughtering 200 cows a day, handled only six yesterday. Business at the facility had virtually stopped.

The Workers' Day saw "best workers" being rewarded at the ceremony. The gifts ranged between 50,000/- offered to a teacher and a cool 1m/- awarded to an engineer. Most beneficiaries got 100,000/-. Some got roofing sheets, bicycles, cows or goats.

Earlier on, a joint workers' statement to the RC, read by the Regional Secretary of the Tanzania Local Government Workers' Union (TALGWU), Mr Julius Mbute, had demanded that all private institutions allow their employees to join workers unions.

The statement also demanded that private employers pay the 48,000/- minimum wage for urban workers and 35,000/- for rural workers. The workers also complained that some employers did not pay for overtime or risk allowances.

They also said the government had not paid outstanding salary arrears and other allowances to its own workers. They added that workers who were studying in local colleges or overseas had their salaries reduced or terminated.

http://www.dailynews-tsn.com/page.php?id=6601

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Tanzania death toll from Rift Valley fever tops 100

GENEVA, May 9 (Reuters) - Rift Valley fever has killed 109 people in Tanzania since January, taking the toll from a recent outbreak in east Africa, including Kenya and Somalia, to 315, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.

The United Nations health agency said 264 cases had been detected in Tanzania between Jan. 13 and May 3, with a mortality rate of 41 percent. It is the first time in a decade that the highly contagious disease has been reported in the country.

Without any vaccine or treatment, it can cause severe haemorrhaging, leading the victim to vomit blood or even bleed to death.

Transmitted through mosquito bites or close contact with contaminated animals, the disease first hit remote areas of Kenya in late November last year.

Kenya reported 684 cases between Nov. 30 and March 12, with 155 deaths.

There were a further 114 cases and 51 deaths between December and February in Somalia, where the recent fighting has hampered disease surveillance and control, the WHO said.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09101278.htm

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Rift Valley Fever hits Tanzania harder than Kenya

By DAGI KIMANI

Special Correspondent

The recent outbreak of Rift Valley Fever was more deadly in Tanzania than in Kenya, says a World Health Organisation report.

According to the report, 109 deaths from the disease were reported in Tanzania by May 3 out of 264 confirmed human cases, giving a 41 per cent death rate. In Kenya, 155 deaths out of 684 confirmed human cases were reported between November 30, 2006 and March 12, 2007 when the epidemic petered out, giving a fatality rate of 23 per cent.

The Kenyan fatality rate was nearly half that recorded in Tanzania.

Tanzania?s epidemic is still unfolding, and the disease has now been detected in 10 out of the country?s 21 regions. By far the hardest hit are the Dodoma and Morogoro regions, with 156 and 50 confirmed cases respectively. According to the WHO bulletin, other badly affected regions in Tanzania are Singida (24 confirmed cases) and Arusha (12 cases).

Tanzania?s epidemic is thought to have spread from Kenya through the expansive grazing fields that span the two countries? border. The response to the outbreak in Tanzania is jointly being organised by the country?s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Livestock Development.

The Tanzanian outbreak, the government says, requires an estimated $12.3 million to control in the long-term, with commitments to improve rapid response capacity and early detection standing at $2.8 million.

According to the latest Tanzanian food security projections, the RVF outbreak has seriously eroded the country?s ability to feed itself, as well as undermined rural economies that rely on livestock farming.

?RVF continues to stress all livelihoods that depend on the livestock sector through the decreased demand for red meat and the quarantines imposed on animal trade, which have reduced the income of livestock-dependent households,? a bulletin released by the Tanzanian government noted.

?Further spread could have serious long-term impacts on food security, the livestock industry and the cash income of the rural poor that depend on livestock for their livelihood.?

According to the bulletin, more than 450,000 doses of animal vaccines for RVF have already been obtained to control the epidemic, but up to nine million doses may be required to stop the disease spreading to other countries in the region or making a resurgence.

In Kenya, the disease is thought to have cost the livestock sector more than Ksh5 billion ($72.5 million) in lost earnings and animal deaths.

The disease also slowed down the recovery of the multi-million Kenya Meat Commission, which was re-opened last year after a 15-year closure.

Kenya?s epidemic was mostly confined to the North-Eastern province (333 cases), Coast (141 cases) and the Rift Valley (183 cases), although the disease was also reported in Central (14) and Eastern provinces (13).

Other than Kenya and Tanzania, RVF has also occurred in Somalia, where 114 cases were confirmed between December 19, 2006 and February 20, 2007. The case fatality in that country was 45 per cent, reflecting the civil war-torn country?s inability to deal with medical emergencies.

RVF is a viral haemorrhagic fever that usually affects livestock. Transmission to humans occurs as a result of mosquito bites or contact with infected animal fluids. The disease is thought to occur naturally among wild animals, which serve as its reservoirs.

http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/News/News1405073.htm

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

Re: Tanzania: What You Should Know About the Rift Valley Fever

RVF cases drop in Dodoma

SOSTHENES MWITA, Dodoma

Daily News; Tuesday,May 15, 2007 @00:05

THE number of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) patients in Dodoma region has dropped to 23 from 35 two weeks ago. A report issued yesterday?s by Dodoma Regional Medical Officer, Dr Frida Mokiti, showed a steady decline in RVF infections.

The death toll caused by RVF reached 55 since the disease erupted in the region early February, this year. Until yesterday evening the Regional Hospital had only 15 RVF patients.

Mirembe hospital, which had 18 patients two weeks ago, had only five yesterday. Mvumi Mission Hospital, which had two patients last week, had only one yesterday.

Mpwapwa District Hospital is still grappling with the single RVF case it had last week. Kondoa District Hospital has no RVF patient at the moment after treating and discharging its two cases two weeks ago. Kongwa still has its single patient who was admitted a couple of weeks ago.

Haneti and Mtitaa dispensaries in Bahi district have successfully treated and discharged their patients. Two weeks ago Haneti had three RVF cases and Mtitaa had one. So far, a total of 42 admitted patients have been treated in various hospitals in the region and discharged.

The regional RVF report shows that since February 1, this year, medical facilities in the region have handled 120 RVF cases. The Regional hospital has handled 70 cases, Mirembe Hospital (25), Kondoa (6), Mpwapwa (6), Mvumi (5), Kongwa (4), Haneti (3) and Mtitaa (1).

Medical experts said this was an indication that new infections are fewer now and that the disease is likely to taper off and disappear in a month or two. Out of the 23 who were in hospital beds yesterday only 15 have been proved positive to the virus. Ten of them are in the Regional Hospital.

Meanwhile, the region still faces a shortage of anti-Rift Valley Fever (RVF) cattle vaccines following a massive response by livestock keepers who drive their herds to vaccination centres daily only to realize that there are not enough jabs to go round.

The response has also posed a challenge to the region which has only a few veterinary officers in rural areas. The region also faces a crippling shortage of transport facilities for officials and veterinary officers. Veterinary service tools and materials are also short.

http://www.dailynews-tsn.com/page.php?id=6843

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: Rift Valley Fever, current developments

TANZANIA Food Security Update May 2007

23 May 2007

excerpt

Rift Valley Fever (RVF)

RVF has effectively been contained, but is still impacting the livestock sector as the demand for red meat has not been fully restored.

The vaccination and sensitization campaigns are ongoing in all affected areas, and the government has appealed for assistance to fund the shortfall of 8 million vaccine dosages.

RVF-infected humans are still being treated in Dodoma region, but no new cases have been reported since April.

The long-term strategies to address the problem developed by the government should be implemented to support sustainable reduction in this disease.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/FEWS/fe6ff9d539e4593e5a782312e559c65b.htm

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tanzania: Rift Valley Fever, current developments

Rift Valley Fever under control, says government


DAR ES SALAAM, 19 June 2007 (IRIN) - An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) earlier this year has been brought under control, the country's livestock ministry said.

"There are no more cases of the viral disease in livestock. The viral disease is now under control," Charles Mlingwa, deputy minister for livestock development, told parliament in Dodoma on 18 June.

RVF is a highly contagious viral disease that infects livestock and humans. The disease spread to 10 administrative regions in Tanzania between January and May, killing 134 of the 306 people infected, according to Mlingwa. The central region of Dodoma, where 85 people died, was the worst affected, the health minister, David Mwakyusa, said.

An ongoing mass vaccination of livestock helped bring the outbreak under control, according to veterinary officials. Other control measures included restrictions on livestock movement and a ban on the slaughter of cattle.

Mlingwa told parliament that people could now consume beef, but insisted the meat must be inspected by public health officials. "People must continue to avoid slaughtering sick animals," he stressed.

RVF was first diagnosed in January in the northern regions of Arusha and Manyara and by the end of May, cases of human and livestock infections and deaths had been reported in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Morogoro, Singida and Tanga.

A total of 46,680 cattle, 56,990 goats and 32,900 sheep were infected. Some 5,610 cattle, 6,896 goats and 3,998 sheep died. He said the government spent about US$3.84 million to bring the disease under control, with most of the money going on imported vaccines.

The RVF outbreak has resulted in a significant reduction in the consumption of red meat in the affected regions and surrounding areas. Incomes of livestock dependent communities have dwindled as a result.

"I used to sell more than 500kg of meat every day, but now I can hardly sell 100kg," said Rashid Khalfan, who operates a butchery in Kisutu, Dar es Salaam. Prices of fish and chicken in Dar es Salaam and other RVF-affected regions soared as demand rose.

In neighbouring Kenya, a total of 684 cases of RVF, including 155 deaths, were detected between 30 November 2006 and 12 March 2007, according to the United Nations World Health Organization.

The disease also hit Somalia, with 114 cases, including 51 deaths, reported in Juba, Gedo, Hiran, Middle Juba, Middle and Lower Shabelle regions between 19 December 2006 and 20 February 2007.

The RVF virus is spread to humans from livestock via the aedes mosquito, which breeds rapidly during floods.

It can be transmitted through contact with infected animal material, such as blood or organs. Consumption of milk, a staple for many pastoral people, is also thought to lead to infection. Symptoms in humans include bleeding through the nose and mouth and liver failure.