Uasin Gishu County has cautioned residents against consuming un-inspected meat after several livestock died following an outbreak of anthrax.
Agriculture executive Samuel Yego indicated that an alert had been issued and vaccination against the disease had since started.
“We have begun a ring vaccination on the village where the cases were first reported and we shall from today commence vaccination across Megun ward,” he said.
Yego, further stated the disease, first reported in a village in Megun location, is spreading quickly and the entire ward is now under surveillance by county veterinary officials.
He advised locals against handling carcasses with bare hands, urging them to burn them under the supervision of veterinary officers.
“We are calling on residents to avoid any contact with the carcass lest they get infected with the disease and also report immediately to authorities any incidents of sick animals,” he said.
But anxiety has gripped the entire Megun location after six animals died in the past week. Locals fear many more might succumb to the disease because of failure by local administrators to vaccinate their livestock despite receiving reports of the sickness.
They now fear they might contract the bacterial disease because they have been touching the carcasses and some have even abandoned consuming animal products, especially milk.
Anthrax is caused by a spore-forming bacterium. It mainly affects animals.
Humans can become infected through contact with an infected animal or by inhaling microorganisms.
Symptoms depend on the route of infection. They can range from a skin ulcer with a dark scab to difficulty breathing.
Symptoms start to show between one day and more than two months after infection.
Antibiotic treatment cures most infections.
Inhaled anthrax is harder to treat and can be fatal.
There are no reports of person-to-person transmission of anthrax. People get anthrax by handling contaminated animal or animal products, consuming undercooked meat of infected animals and more recently, intentional release of spores.