Uganda anthrax outbreak kills 82 hippos in reserve

Kampala: Ugandan officials say an
anthrax outbreak has killed 82 hippos in the last month and a
half.

National anthrax task force spokesman Nicholas Kauta
says the outbreak began in Queen Elizabeth National Park in
June and has also killed nine buffalo.

He said today that no humans are known to have
contracted the deadly disease during the outbreak and that
tourism has been unaffected.

Anthrax also killed 300 hippos in 2004. Anthrax
spores can occur naturally in soil and can remain dormant for
years. Drought, floods or wind expose the spores and they can
be ingested when livestock graze close to the ground. Vaccines
can protect livestock.

PTI