MARSABIT—A sudden outbreak of a strange disease has claimed the lives of 112 camels in Mandera County for the past one month.
The disease which emanated from Wajir County is claiming camels of between 2-5 years in Takaba and Banisa sub counties and there is fear it will spread to the other four sub counties.
According to area county director of Livestock Hussein Madey, the disclosed blood samples of sick animals have been taken for analysis in a Nairobi chemist to establish exactly what the camels are suffering from.
Pastoral communities in the area have been advised to report sick camels and teams of veterinary doctors have been dispatched to all the six sub counties to avert a looming crisis as many residents depend on camel herding for survival.
Wajir South MP Abdullahi Diriye claimed the disease is spreading fast and urged for urgent intervention from the government.
Mr Diriye said camels stop grazing after contracting the disease and become weak before dying.
“This disease is really wiping out animals especially camels, I have seen a farmer who had 30 camels but lost 16 of them to this strange disease. This is causing panic among pastoralists,” he told the Nation on early January.
An audit done in July 2014 placed camel population in the county at 896,000.
