SAMBURU: 24 Hospitalized After Consuming Cow Meat

Twenty-four people from Shabaa village in Samburu central sub county are receiving treatment at Samburu County Referral hospital in Maralal town after eating contaminated meat.

Confirming the incident, Bonface Atandi, a doctor at the hospital said the victims were received and admitted at the hospital as they complained of diarrhea, stomachache and vomiting after consuming the infected meat from a dead cow.

“Most of them were small children of age group between 15 to 20 years and elderly including women and men. They were brought here while weak and dehydrated,” he said.

The victims shared a carcass of a cow that had been sick for a while and later succumbed to an unknown disease.

Atandi said 22 of the 24 patients have been treated and are in stable condition as the hospital commences the process of discharging them today.

He said the hospital has previously received patients who fell sick after eating meat from carcasses of dead animals.

The doctor discouraged residents from eating an un-inspected meat saying some times the consequences might be fatal.

“We want to appeal to the local communities that they should not feed on dead animals or un-inspected meat. Always ensure that the meat has been inspected and approved to be safe for human consumption by a public health officer,” he said.

Atandi said there is a need for the communities living in the region to be sensitized on the importance of eating meat that has been inspected by a medical practitioner and approved to be safe for human consumption.