Muranga anthrax scare: Kahumbu ward quarantined after hundreds fall sick

Kahumbu ward, Kigumo Constituency, Murang'a, has been quarantined to prevent the spread of suspected anthrax to neighboring wards. 

Dr. Apollo Kamau, the county's CEC for agriculture, livestock, and fisheries, issued a 21-day quarantine after over 200 villagers became ill on Sunday after eating contaminated meat. 

Muranga county is establishing mobile clinics throughout the ward to treat those affected and vaccinate all livestock in the area, while authorities pursue the man who allegedly certified the meat as safe for human consumption.  

Several people from five villages in Kahumbu ward, Kigumo Constituency, were treated and released from various hospitals after consuming meat from a cow suspected of dying from anthrax.

“Kukiwa na hio magonjwa inaitwa notifiable diseases kunawekwa quarantine ndio mifugo isitoke ama bidhaa zake ama mifugo ingine kuingia huku, kwa hizi shopping centre ziko around Kahumbuini na wananchi wasikule,” Dr Apollo Kamau said on Monday. 

Area governor Irungu Kangata has said his administration is collecting names of those affected with the goal of helping them out during the quarantine period. 

“Wale wamekua affected especially wananchi wa hii kijiji kaunti itachukua majina yao ndio tuweze kuwa support for the time being kulingana na ile pesa tutapata ili waweze kujimudu kwa hio muda watakua na shida ya movemen,” Kangata said. 

“We are mobilizing a mobile clinic that will be stationed in the sub-county for 7 or 14 days. we request that all the people who came into contact with the cow report to administration so that we can start them on treatment,”

Meanwhile, several people from five villages in Kahumbu ward, Kigumo Constituency, Murang'a, have been admitted to various hospitals, while others have been treated and discharged after eating meat from a cow suspected of dying of anthrax.

The owner of the cow from Kanguku Village, Christopher Ngugi, described how, on Wednesday of last week, he came home to discover one of his cows lying in the cowshed, showing signs of an unidentified illness. 

He immediately notified the local animal health officer, who came to treat the cow and give him advice on how to handle the condition.

The farmer told the media that the animal was given the all-clear by the officer, who, with the help of a few men from the village, tore open the animal's abdomen and discovered that it had ingested pieces of clothing and polythene papers, which he claimed blocked the animal's airways and ultimately caused it to die.

The farmer went on to explain that as a result, farmers flocked to the home in droves to buy meat from the animal for  Ksh. 400 per kilogram rather than Ksh. 600, which is the price the commodity is sold for at local butcheries.

The farmer was flanked by his wife, Margaret Nyambura, who stated that it was not until last week, on Wednesday, that his other cow died of a mysterious disease, the carcass of which was buried under the inspection of animal health officers, who confirmed the animal had died of anthrax.