The government has stepped up surveillance and response measures after an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) was reported in seven counties.
The affected counties are Kiambu, Tharaka-Nithi, Embu, Kakamega, Homa Bay, Busia and Migori.
The government said the disease had affected several areas, including the border counties, and urged heightened vigilance as efforts to contain its spread continue.
“We are heightening our response to an outbreak of African Swine Fever that has affected Kiambu, Tharaka-Nithi, Embu, Kakamega and the border counties of Busia, Homa Bay and Migori,” the government said.
The outbreak is of great worry to the farmers who raise pigs since the disease is highly contagious to the animals, and there are chances of high fatalities.
This is just a few days after a farmer in Ruai in Nairobi county lost all 156 of his pigs to the disease.
According to sources, this Kona Mbaya farmer has lost almost KSh2 million due to the disease outbreak.
He started his farm three years ago using KSh150,000 to buy five breeding pigs which he has since increased in number.
This outbreak first occurred in the evening of June 24 when he got a phone call from an employee that one of the pigs had died.
About 90 minutes later, when he arrived at the farm, the disease had already begun spreading among the pigs.
All 156 pigs eventually died over the following days.
African Swine Fever can cause symptoms such as fever, loss of appetite, weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea in infected pigs. The disease can also cause redness of the skin, particularly around the ears, abdomen and legs.
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), severe forms of the disease can kill infected pigs within six to 13 days, although death may sometimes occur within 20 days.
Despite sometimes being referred to as “swine flu”, African Swine Fever is not the same as influenza and does not infect humans.
WOAH and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have confirmed that the disease does not pose a health risk to people.
The outbreak, however, remains a serious threat to pig farmers because of the potential loss of entire herds and the resulting financial impact.