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A new outbreak of anthrax has been reported in Middle Guinea in a town in the prefecture of Koubia -- just when Guinea is still struggling to overcome the epidemic of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever.
Several members of the same family, who ate meat from an infected animal, have been contaminated. "They are 11 people, of which 2 developed the disease, with a death in the community. A woman died of the disease, and a 2nd patient is showing signs [of the disease]: a man who is about 25 is currently hospitalized in the prefecture of Koubia, where he is being supported," said Dr. Thierno Ibrahima Kourouma, the prefectural director of health [DPS] in Koubia.
"When we were informed, an investigative mission visited the premises; the head of the center who went to carry out the investigation made a strong case for awareness [of the disease], and reminded people about the symptoms and dangers of the disease if the meat from animals infected with anthrax is eaten. In fact, those who consume the meat of the sick animal are at risk of developing the disease. Whether cattle or goats, all these animals can be contaminated," continued the DPS of Koubia.
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Anthrax, food security and food safety
When working collaboratively with smallholder farmers, local NGO agriculture leaders, students and farm managers in Liberia in 2013, we had a deep discussion around the danger of eating ill animals, or animals found dead (road kill or who knows what...). The example we used was Anthrax. The advice was "if you see a cow that looks like this, don't touch it. Don't eat it. Just bury it." Our well-intended but overly-directive advice was temepered by the realities of severe hunger and poverty.
The response was, "We're starving. We eat sick animals and animals we find dead." Many people are forced to make the choice between starvation or eating an animal that may have a disease that is contagious to humans, and in eating, could cause illness or death. It is a horrible choice for people to have to face. We can change that, but it requires working with communities, understanding their values and challenges and honoring their wisdom and realities.
This is why food and nutrition security and food safety are so important, and why they need to be addressed during any health crisis such as Ebola. This is likewise why community-based education, surveillance and reporting should be established and scaled, and communities and governments incentivized to report.
Only in learning what communities need, already know, and what help they want from us can we hope to partner to advance relevant and susstainable approaches. Resilience systems advance self-reliance and resilience, and build true local capacity for addressing all that is needed for health and human secuity.
Carrie La Jeunesse