By Kemo Cham
Scientists at the Central Veterinary Laboratory at Teko in Makeni are analyzing samples from dead pigs, amidst fears of an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), health authorities say.
The samples were collected from Rogbere Village in Masimera Chiefdom, Port Loko District, northern Sierra Leone, were local health authorities had raised alarm following reported multiple deaths of pigs, according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS).
A contingent of the Rapid Response Team from the Directorate of Health Security and Emergencies, including disease experts from the Ministry of Health and Agriculture, were deployed into the community under the One Health Platform, to investigate the situation.
Information and Communication Officer at the Department of Health Education in the Ministry of Health, Ibrahim Sorie Koroma, was among the team; he told Politico that while they awaited the outcome of the analysis, they were confident that it’s not a case of ASF. Koroma noted that preliminary investigations indicated that the deaths of the pigs couldn’t have been connected to any disease.
“We have done the investigation but we also collected samples and the samples are currently being investigated,” he said, adding: “Based on our observations and the experts’ analysis, none of the signs and symptoms are linked to the African Swine Fever.”
According to Koroma, information received from the ground prior to their deployment suggested that there were 12 deaths of pigs. But he said they found out that only six had died, noting that all of those who died were piglets and that they discovered that some of them were eaten by their mother while the others were suspected of having died as a result of ant bites.
Rogbere is one of several communities popular with pigs, which are reared mainly under free range system, exposing them to a whole lots of illnesses.
ASF is a highly contagious viral disease which can mostly affect pigs and animals in the wild. It can also transfer from pig to pig and can kill them if early preventive actions are not taken.
While the disease does not pose direct health threat to humans, its threat on the pig population represents a major threat to the livelihoods of a huge population of farmers across Sierra Leone.
In 2019 a deadly strain of ASF erupted in Freetown, killing about 1000 pigs in over 30 mainly slum communities around the capital city.
Meanwhile, the scientists at Teko lab are also reported to be analyzing samples from dead cows over suspected outbreak of brucellosis in Kaliyereh Community, Sulima Chiefdom, Falaba District.
The Health Ministry said there were reports of sudden deaths of cows in both Falaba and neighboring Konadugu District last week, prompting the deployment of the health security officials.
Brucellosis is a highly contagious disease that mostly affects ruminants, but it can also affect other animals like cows, goats, sheep and even humans.
Affected animals can exhibit signs and symptoms like decreased milk production, still birth, miscarriage, infertility, swollen knees and lameness of legs. The disease affects the reproductive system of animals and can kill the young.
Brucellosis can transfer from affected animals to humans where hygiene and sanitation practices are not in existence, especially where there are direct human contacts with the fetus and fluids of the infected animal during delivery.
While it doesn’t kill humans, Brucellosis however does cause infertility in men who are most at risk of the disease, as the bacteria paralises the sperm cells.
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