Treyfish
Moderator
RABIES, HUMAN, BEEF CONSUMPTION - MALAWI: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Date: Tue 23 Sep 2008
Source: The Daily Times (Malawi) [edited]
<http://www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=10834>
More than 1000 people from Traditional Authority Chikumbu in Mulanje
[District] are feared to have contracted rabies after eating beef
from an infected cow. [Malawi's administrative divisions include
districts, traditional authorities (TA), and local government wards. - Mod.AS]
The cow, according to veterinary officials, died early this month
[September 2008] after showing rabies symptoms and members of the
community were told to dispose of the animal but they instead started
selling it.
Mulanje District health officer John Chipolombwe said since last week
[week of 15 Sep 2008], about 800 people have received anti rabies
vaccine but there are more who have not yet received the vaccine.
"We have treated about 800 people and it is possible for the figures
to go up. We are here to sensitise the people that those who took the
meat should receive the vaccine," he said.
Chipolombwe further said the hospital was expected to spend about
Malawian Kwachas [MWK] 8 million [approx. USD 56 560] to treat the
affected persons, although it would be challenging to complete the exercise.
"Vaccine for people costs about MWK 9000 [approx. USD 64] and to
treat these is going to cost millions. The main challenge is that
most of these people are old while others are young and cannot manage
to come to the hospital so we have to travel to nearest points where
we can administer the vaccine," explained Chipolombwe.
District animal health and livestock officer Stanford Muyira said
after observing the symptoms they concluded that it was rabies and
warned the people against eating meat from the cow.
"However, we were surprised that some few guys decided to sell the
animal," he said.
Muyira said they suspect that the cattle was either bitten by a rabid
dog or cat or had eaten something that was affected by rabies [the
latter is unlikely. - Mod.AS]
According to Muyira, after inspecting the [dead] animal, veterinary
officials took a sample to a laboratory for a postmortem where it was
discovered that the animal died of rabies.
[A woman] said her son ate the meat from her neighbours while some
bought it at MWK 10 [approx. USD 0.07] a piece and others exchanged
[for it] pegion peas, dried cassava (makaka), and maize. "My son has
now a sore leg and I could not take [him] to hospital because it is
far. Apart from that, my husband and mother also ate the meat and I
have to take care of them as well," she said.
[Byline: Caroline Kandiero]
--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Rabies could only be contracted by penetration of the epidermis via
a wound or similar lesion. Rabies virus can replicate to a limited
extent in muscle tissue, but to do damage it must access neural
tissue via the acetylcholine neurotransmitter. Rabies virus only
propagates to high titres in neural tissue and salivary gland tissue.
Rabies virus is heat and acid sensitive, so the risk of infection via
cooked or uncooked meat would be negligible, although it could not be
excluded. - Mod.CP
Similar situations, in Bolivia and Belarus, have been reported in
earlier ProMED-mail postings (see references below). The case in
Bolivia, in 1999, was thoroughly discussed by Mod.TG and by a
correspondent. Subscribers are encouraged to visit the said posting,
Rabies, bovine, eaten - Bolivia 19990820.1445.
According to internationally prevailing meat-inspection guidelines,
rabid food animals are to be totally condemned. The main risk related
to such animals is the exposure of those involved in their
transportation and handling, particularly butchers, to the infected
tissues and saliva. Veterinarians may be exposed to infection while
approaching a bovine for diagnostic mouth and throat palpation, since
rabid cows are sometimes suspected by owners to suffer from throat
obstruction (such as by potatoes and similar objects).
The view of international public health authorities on the need to
apply rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in consumers of such
meat will be useful. - Mod.AS
Mulanje District, in the Southern region of Malawi, can be located on
the map at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/malawi.pdf>.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Malawi can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/promed?g=925788&v=-16,35.583,5>. - CopyEd.MJ]:tiphat:
http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,74134
Date: Tue 23 Sep 2008
Source: The Daily Times (Malawi) [edited]
<http://www.dailytimes.bppmw.com/article.asp?ArticleID=10834>
More than 1000 people from Traditional Authority Chikumbu in Mulanje
[District] are feared to have contracted rabies after eating beef
from an infected cow. [Malawi's administrative divisions include
districts, traditional authorities (TA), and local government wards. - Mod.AS]
The cow, according to veterinary officials, died early this month
[September 2008] after showing rabies symptoms and members of the
community were told to dispose of the animal but they instead started
selling it.
Mulanje District health officer John Chipolombwe said since last week
[week of 15 Sep 2008], about 800 people have received anti rabies
vaccine but there are more who have not yet received the vaccine.
"We have treated about 800 people and it is possible for the figures
to go up. We are here to sensitise the people that those who took the
meat should receive the vaccine," he said.
Chipolombwe further said the hospital was expected to spend about
Malawian Kwachas [MWK] 8 million [approx. USD 56 560] to treat the
affected persons, although it would be challenging to complete the exercise.
"Vaccine for people costs about MWK 9000 [approx. USD 64] and to
treat these is going to cost millions. The main challenge is that
most of these people are old while others are young and cannot manage
to come to the hospital so we have to travel to nearest points where
we can administer the vaccine," explained Chipolombwe.
District animal health and livestock officer Stanford Muyira said
after observing the symptoms they concluded that it was rabies and
warned the people against eating meat from the cow.
"However, we were surprised that some few guys decided to sell the
animal," he said.
Muyira said they suspect that the cattle was either bitten by a rabid
dog or cat or had eaten something that was affected by rabies [the
latter is unlikely. - Mod.AS]
According to Muyira, after inspecting the [dead] animal, veterinary
officials took a sample to a laboratory for a postmortem where it was
discovered that the animal died of rabies.
[A woman] said her son ate the meat from her neighbours while some
bought it at MWK 10 [approx. USD 0.07] a piece and others exchanged
[for it] pegion peas, dried cassava (makaka), and maize. "My son has
now a sore leg and I could not take [him] to hospital because it is
far. Apart from that, my husband and mother also ate the meat and I
have to take care of them as well," she said.
[Byline: Caroline Kandiero]
--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Rabies could only be contracted by penetration of the epidermis via
a wound or similar lesion. Rabies virus can replicate to a limited
extent in muscle tissue, but to do damage it must access neural
tissue via the acetylcholine neurotransmitter. Rabies virus only
propagates to high titres in neural tissue and salivary gland tissue.
Rabies virus is heat and acid sensitive, so the risk of infection via
cooked or uncooked meat would be negligible, although it could not be
excluded. - Mod.CP
Similar situations, in Bolivia and Belarus, have been reported in
earlier ProMED-mail postings (see references below). The case in
Bolivia, in 1999, was thoroughly discussed by Mod.TG and by a
correspondent. Subscribers are encouraged to visit the said posting,
Rabies, bovine, eaten - Bolivia 19990820.1445.
According to internationally prevailing meat-inspection guidelines,
rabid food animals are to be totally condemned. The main risk related
to such animals is the exposure of those involved in their
transportation and handling, particularly butchers, to the infected
tissues and saliva. Veterinarians may be exposed to infection while
approaching a bovine for diagnostic mouth and throat palpation, since
rabid cows are sometimes suspected by owners to suffer from throat
obstruction (such as by potatoes and similar objects).
The view of international public health authorities on the need to
apply rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in consumers of such
meat will be useful. - Mod.AS
Mulanje District, in the Southern region of Malawi, can be located on
the map at
<http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/malawi.pdf>.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Malawi can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/promed?g=925788&v=-16,35.583,5>. - CopyEd.MJ]:tiphat:
http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,74134