Isiolo County has embarked on implementing a home-grown strategy to combat spread of Rift Valley Fever which was recently reported in Marsabit County.
The strategy, ‘Isiolo County One Health Initiative’ brings together a team of professionals is a multi-agency of various government departments including health, water and environment, Livestock and other stakeholders who have assured livestock keepers that they will help combat the disease.
Rift Valley Fever is a disease that attacks both human beings and animals. It is transmitted to humans after consuming meat or milk from an inffected animal.
Isiolo Deputy Governor Dr. James Lowassa while launching the initiative on Monday disclosed that seven people succumbed to the disease in 2020 and 2021 in the county adding that the health department has since made efforts to prevent spread of the disease.
He said the results of samples taken from animals in Isiolo County indicated that they were positive of RVF but those from human beings turned negative.
Dr. Lowassa said the disease was detected in both animals and humans in Marsabit and Wajir counties and hence the need to have close surveillance, create awareness and also start vaccinating the animals to curb spread of the disease.
“We want to carry out surveillance of the disease and sensitize the residents by creating awareness about the disease as a zoonotic disease,” he said.
The Deputy Governor thanked the national government for giving the county vaccines for all the animals so as to curb spread of the disease in the region.
He warned the residents of Isiolo against consuming uninspected meat and milk stressing on the need to properly boil animal products for a long time to kill germs and any viruses before eating.
The deputy governor said Merti and Garbatula areas have already received vaccines.
By Cecen Doto and Abduba Mamo
