Thousands of cattle in Mozambique’s central Sofala province have been hit by an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis which can also affect humans if they eat contaminated meat, a provincial governor said on Thursday.
”The disease is a serious threat to the economy of the province and to human life as people have generally defied appeals not to eat any meat before being tested by the veterinary experts,” said provincial governor Felicio Zacarias.
”Some cattle are already dying in the most affected areas, the situation is very serious,” he said.
Zacarias said that bovine tuberculosis can be transmitted to humans once they eat mean from a contaminated animal.
Tuberculosis is already widespread in the province due to the high HIV/Aids rate.
The governor said the districts of Buzi, near the provincial capital Beira, and Machanga, some 100km south of the city, were the worst affected.
The disease has also been reported in Nhamatanda district, northwest of Beira.
According to official statistics, there are about 20 000 head of cattle in the affected districts.
The provincial agriculture authorities have called for farmers not to move their animals to avoid spreading the disease.
Provincial spokesperson Maria Joao said authorities were planning to cull cattle in the region but said it would take a long time to start.
The outbreak is a major setback to the government’s efforts to restock the country’s domestic animal population, especially cattle, which were decimated during a bloody 16-year civil war that ended in late 1992. – Sapa-AFP