The Ministry of Health and Child Care has warned members of the public against eating meat from dead or infected animals as this exposes them to complex health risks.
The chief director for preventive services in the Ministry, Dr Gibson Mhlanga advised people to report any cases of infected or dead animals to the nearest veterinary department. He said:
People should not be tempted to consume dead or infected cattle because of greed. It creates serious health complications that at times have a fatal ending especially if the animal died because of a disease like anthrax. Instead, they should report any cases of infected or dead animals to the nearest veterinary department so that they get proper assistance.
This comes as statistics have indicated that close to 100 people were hospitalised countrywide in January for health complications that developed after consuming meat from unofficial sources.
Due to the prevailing economic hardships, people have been forced to buy cheap meat from street vendors and unlicensed butcheries which in most cases, is from animals that died from January Disease (Theileriosis) or anthrax.