East Coast Fever breaks out in Chongwe’s Kanankantapa ward, 10 cows reported dead; council warns against consuming infected meat

More than ten cows have reportedly died from an outbreak of East Coast Fever in the Kanankantapa resettlement scheme of Chongwe District.

Chongwe Municipal Council’s District Livestock and Veterinary Services Director, Dr. Francis Mwanza, said the disease—commonly known as denkede—has hit the area, with some villagers reportedly consuming carcasses of the infected animals or supplying the meat to butcheries.

“Some villagers who do not want to accept the loss have been eating the meat, while others are allegedly selling it to butcheries in Chongwe District,” Dr. Mwanza said during a District Epidemic Preparedness and Disaster Management Committee meeting held in the council chambers.

Chongwe Municipal Council’s District Health Services also confirmed receiving a community alert report from Kanankantapa on the livestock deaths.

Council Public Relations Officer, Peter Sukwa, said the report indicated that more than ten cows had died and a veterinary officer had since been dispatched to the area.

“The report further noted that some villagers were consuming meat from the dead animals,” Sukwa said. “Residents are being warned against eating or illegally selling such meat at markets.”

He advised residents to dispose of infected carcasses by burning them, warning that consuming or selling the meat poses serious health risks and could lead to further spread of the disease—and even death.

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