Zambia warns against eating dead wildlife after anthrax outbreak kills dozens of animals

Authorities in Zambia have warned people not to eat meat from dead wildlife after an anthrax outbreak killed dozens of animals in the Munyamadzi River area of Muchinga province. Officials said 12 people were infected after consuming dead wildlife, while no human deaths have been reported. The outbreak has affected the Munyamadzi Game Management Area, where surveillance and laboratory investigations are still under way.

Sponsored

The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit said 46 hippos, eight elephants, five buffaloes and one crocodile had died since July. Its national coordinator, Norman Chipakupaku, said the carcasses were eaten by local people who depend on wildlife for food. Authorities have urged the public not to consume, sell, distribute or handle meat from animals that die naturally or from unknown causes, and to report such cases immediately.

Officials have also called for hunting in the affected area to be suspended until the extent of the disease and the associated risks are established. The 12 infected people are receiving treatment, according to the authorities. Anthrax is caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis and can spread from animals to humans through contact with contaminated animal products.

It mainly affects grazing animals and can cause sudden death. The outbreak matters because it combines a wildlife die-off with direct human exposure in an area where people rely on natural resources for food. Zambia has said anthrax is endemic in the country, but human deaths are not common.

Sponsored

The latest case has renewed concern about how quickly the disease can move from animals to people when carcasses are handled or eaten. The current outbreak also follows earlier anthrax events in Zambia. In 2023, the country experienced what officials described as an unprecedented outbreak that killed four people and spread to nine of the country's 10 provinces.

Another large-scale outbreak was reported in 2011, when more than 500 cases were recorded and five people died after eating meat from infected hippos. Those episodes underline the recurring public-health risk posed by anthrax in wildlife and livestock settings. What remains unclear is the full geographical extent of the latest outbreak and whether more animals or people have been exposed.

Authorities say surveillance and laboratory investigations are continuing, and they have not yet confirmed how far the disease has spread beyond the Munyamadzi area. The next developments to watch are whether the suspension of hunting is extended, whether more infections are identified, and whether further wildlife deaths are reported.

#Zambia #anthrax #wildlife #publichealth #Muchingaprovince

Sponsored