The Meru County Government has recommended the arrest and prosecution of farmers who fail to vaccinate their animals against anthrax following a fatal outbreak that claimed two lives.
The directive came after residents of Kiguchwa in Tigania Central defied an advisory by a meat inspector last December, exhumed a condemned carcass and consumed it, leading to a human anthrax outbreak.
Meru County Agriculture Chief Officer James Mutia reported that two out of 15 people who were hospitalised after eating the condemned meat died.
"When the meat inspector declared the dead cow unfit for consumption, the owners rejected the verdict. The inspector sought police assistance and the carcass was disposed of as per the public health guidelines. However, aggrieved locals exhumed the carcass at night and shared out the meat for consumption. Several people were hospitalized and two died in hospital," Mr Mutia recounted.
The county administration has sought the intervention of national government administration officers and police following pockets of resistance to livestock vaccination.
Mr Mutia said efforts to conduct preventive vaccination in the surrounding areas were met with resistance by some locals.
According to the National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Anthrax in Humans and Animals in Kenya 2021 – 2036, anthrax outbreaks must be followed by vaccination of herds within a 15-kilometre radius of the source. The strategy further recommends "annual vaccination for three consecutive years after an outbreak to break the infection cycle in an area."
Speaking to Nation , Mr Mutia clarified that the call for the arrest of farmers who fail to vaccinate their animals is only related to the ongoing efforts to control anthrax in the county.
"We are yet to start the nationwide mass vaccination of livestock in Meru. What we are doing is the routine annual vaccination at the county level," he said.
The county is also seeking help to enforce a bylaw against home slaughter of animals for human consumption.
Meru County Commissioner Jacob Ouma said chiefs and police officers were on high alert to avert illegal slaughter of animals.
"All meat being consumed in the county must be inspected and stamped as per the law. We are also watching out for any illegal slaughterhouses," Mr Ouma said.
Anthrax is endemic in Meru, Nakuru, Murang'a, Kiambu and Narok counties where most of the country's anthrax outbreaks have been reported over the years.
Since last year, the Meru County Government has vaccinated over 140,000 cattle against anthrax and foot and mouth disease, out of the county's total population of over 450,000 beef and dairy cattle.
