RFI: Control of Anthrax
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I am having a problem of dealing with a cutaneous anthrax out-
break in a community were 24% of the people are immune compro-
mised. Mode of infection is through handling infected meat prod-
ucts during preparing of the meat for cooking. The community is
poor and some view the meat as cheap. Can any one assist with
information on effective control measures.
D Chirundu
Zimbabwe
mailto:dchirundu@healthnet.org.zw
RFI: Control of Anthrax (2)
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This is clearly a case for Dr Hargreaves Veterinary Department,
control of infections in animals. Zimbabwe has been renowned for
controlling foot and mouth disease and anthrax before. What
seems to be the problem now? Public awareness campaigns should
be ongoing and reinforced whenever you have a fresh outbreak,
being a poor community is no excuse for eating and handling in-
fected meat. Who the hell is supplying this meat? Are people
left to kill off their sick cattle in ignorance, someone should
take responsibility. Between Ministry of Agriculture, Veterinary
services, and Ministry of Health this problem can be resolved.
When UK had an outbreak of foot and Mouth Disease a few years
back, they even resorted to burning all carcasses, big loss to
farmers but so what, you save human lives?? The fact that these
people are immuno-compromised is irrelevant in this case, a
healthy person in the same community would still be at risk of
being infected with the deadly anthrax disease!!!!
From your letter it would sound as if the risk is reduced or non
existent if you are healthy and not HIV infected??
SOLUTION IS:
- To start a health education campaign.
- Inform the people of the hazards associated with handling and
eating infected meat.
- Tell them in no uncertain terms that anthrax would kill them
quicker than HIV or have they all lost hope and reached a stage
where they feel whichever way we are dead anyway??
- Be prepared to offer an alternative food for survival.
- Just talk and don'ts won't get you far.
- Enlist the help of NGO's like Christian Care etc. to step in
with food substitutes.
- Make use of schools in the area to forge your health education
campaign, write simple flyers and distribute in the community.
Information leaflets, use the radio and TV, their relatives in
town will help enforce the word!! You know how we love our rural
homes and family and extended families.
- Use the churches as well to spread the gospel of anthrax in-
fected meat and its dangers to life. This is a life threatening
issue.
GOOD LUCK.
Aileen Jacobus
mailto:makanyorei@yahoo.co.uk
RFI: Control of Anthrax (3)
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Hi Chirundu,
I can only sympathise with your situation. Presumably anthrax
has been a problem in that area for a number of years and given
the economic status of the community, talking and awareness cam-
paign might not change their behaviour (eating cheap infected
meat easily). In fact it is a situation which the Veterinary
services and the public health Dept. in Zimbabwe must tackle
through recommended sanitary interventions and quarantine. You
surely won't be able to handle this single handed. This is espe-
cially important now with bioterrorism scares all over the
places. Along with that the affected persons and vulnerables
must receive antibiotics (cipro or other penicillin derivatives)
as per recommendation and availability. I hope the patients
won't have to pay for this.
Regards,
Robert S. Machang'u (PhD)
Associate Professor
Fac. Veterinary Medicine
Dept of Microbiology and Parasitology
P.O. Box 3110, Morogoro, Tanzania
Fax: +255-23-260-1485
mailto:machangu2001@yahoo.com