Rift Valley Fever Spins Way Out Of Control In Kenya As Deaths Reach 139 And Still Counting

With the death of a 17-year-old boy two days ago in Baringo district, the fatality toll has reached 139 and has also spread fear and panic among Kenyans who have now mostly shunned beef and milk.

Just focus on that number, 139 for a moment. Those are the number of deaths so far. 139 people can hardly be accommodated in most homes, standing space only. This is a huge number that tells you this Rift Valley thing is an epidemic of unprecedented proportions that is swiftly sweeping across the nation of Kenya and leaving death in its' path.

In spite of several awareness campaigns by the government that meat inspected by veterinary personnel and stamped fit for consumption is okay to eat, locals are not taking any chances and have chosen to stop eating beef altogether along with cow milk as the disease is known not to have a cure.

About 482 cases have been reported since the outbreak sometime early December last year in the rift valley but again many more cases went unreported as infected persons did not seek attention from health institutions and opted for traditional herbs, a common way of treatment for the pastoral community who are the worst affected.

The situation seems to have worsened and led to a joint press conference yesterday between the ministry of health and that of livestock development with the two minister's, Charity Ngilu and Joseph Munyao respectively trying to reassure Kenyans that everything was under control.

All these assurances seem to have fallen on deaf years as Kenyans are avoiding meat roasting joints like Kenyatta market like the plague and are opting for chicken and fish which are currently experiencing a boom never mind the fact that reports of bird flu have retuned with a vengeance and the first death on African soil in Nigeria was recently announced.

Most butcheries in the country have experienced an almost 50% reduction in beef meat sales since the year began while others have chosen to temporarily shut down until the disease disappears. But surprisingly, the price of beef has not gone down as expected.

RVF is a disease that is transmitted by animals through the eating of meat or drinking of milk from an infected animal but according to experts, if the meat is boiled above 100 degrees centigrade, it is safe.

It has no known cure and its' exact origins are also scanty with experts saying it was first detected in the rift valley hence the name. Most of the victims are members of the pastoral community who are known to consume lots of un-inspected meat. There is a crazy unverified theory that it may have been "introduced" by American covert agents trying to deal a major deathblow on Al Queada cells within neighboring Somalia by crippling their main source of livelihood, which is livestock. However the virus easily sneaked into Kenya where herds are much more vulnerable to disease. It is widely know that deadly viruses are these days "grown" in labs all over the Western world. Is it just a coincidence that American viral experts were the first to jet into the country to help control the spread of the disease when it was first reported late last year?

Symptoms include fever, weakness in joints and bleeding from every orifice and finally a painful death. Though it has no known cure, meat lovers like the Maasai are still consuming large quantities of un-inspected beef and surprisingly only two cases have so far been reported in Kajiado.

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