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The Herald, November 15, 1979
A SALISBURY hospital has admitted five people with anthrax in the past six weeks. One is still being treated.
The City Medical Officer of Health, Dr J. C. A. Davies, said three of the cases originated from within Mashonaland. The others were from the Midlands.
“All patients were admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital on Beatrice Road, and all except one have been sent home,” he said.
Dr Davies said anthrax came as a boil with a black centre on the skin. If it was treated promptly it causes no trouble, but if it is left septicaemia could set in.
“People who kill an infected cow could contract the disease from close contact with the carcass. Others who handle parts of the animal such as the hides, hooves, and horns could also pick up the disease”.
The anthrax bacillus gets on to the hands and from there could infect mostly the face and less often the forearms.
Government inspectors are still on the alert for ungraded meat after recently raiding many shops in the Salisbury municipal area and confiscating 16 carcasses, which had not been legally processed or medically passed.
One of the inspectors Mr H. Hardwick, said there had been no more raids, but they were waiting for “feedback information” about the suppliers, whose meat could have come from anywhere and could even have been stolen.
“We are getting the odd telephone call from members of the public and a few hotels querying the quality of their meat saying they don’t like the look of it or that it is tough,” he said.
Twenty-six people had died out of a total of 1 259 people who had contracted anthrax in the Midlands to date, our Midlands representatives quoted the Provincial Officer of Health, Dr Ian Campbell, as saying in Gwelo yesterday.
“Out of those by far the greatest number come from Silobela,” he said, adding that he had no way of knowing about the cases or of the deaths not notified.
Dr Campbell said he would have expected cases to have occurred in the Lower Gwelo area, but he had not heard of any.
“It seems to stop at the road. We have had a few cattle dying in the area but so far we haven’t had any human cases.”
The 1 259 reported cases were, or had been receiving treatment in Que hospital (which was dealing with only a few); in the Lower Gwelo Road Infectious Disease (very few); in Loreto Rural Hospital, which was dealing with hundreds; and a small council clinic at Exchange, also dealing with hundreds.
There had been some cases from Gokwe, but they were “very few” compared with the number from the Que district, which was getting its cases from Silobela and the Zhombe Tribal Trust Lands.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
- Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as bacillus anthracis. It occurs naturally in soil and commonly affects domestic and wild animals around the world.
- People can get sick with anthrax if they come into contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.
- Zimbabwe has had its fair share of sporadic outbreaks of anthrax with the last outbreak being recorded last year in the Midlands and Mashonaland East and West Provinces.
- People need to be on the lookout for anthrax and to report any cases as soon as they are discovered while the police and veterinary services department should continue to be vigilant especially in areas where cases have been reported.
Online Reporter