Residents of Mwingi North subcounty in Kitui are in a panic following the outbreak of newcastle disease that is killing their poultry.
Many residents have resorted to slaughtering and eating the sick birds as they do not stand any chance of surviving once they are infected.
Subcounty administrator Stephem Matei confirmed the outbreak of the disease and said the most affected area is Kyuso ward where hundreds of chickens have died since the outbreak was reported nearly a month ago.
"The first case of the disease whose fatality rate on affected chicken is said to be 100 per cent was reported in Kyuso town, the headquarters of our subcounty nearly a month ago. Locals had complained that once the birds show signs of infection, they drop dead within hours," Matei said on the phone on Monday.
He said when veterinary officers checked what was killing the birds in the affected homes, they established it was as a result of newcastle disease.
Matei confirmed the highly contagious respiratory disease that is usually airborne has since spread to Itivanzou and Mivukoni villages. He added that he was also a victim because all his chickens died from the disease.
"The county government of Kitui has responded to the situation and made the necessary intervention to curb further deaths from the disease. A budget has already been set aside for vaccines so that mass vaccination many be carried out to stem the spread of the disease,” he said.
He said already a good quality of vaccines had been acquired and the vaccination of the birds would kick off pronto.
“The unfortunate thing is that sick chicken cannot be salvaged because the disease has no cure," the Kitui county official said.
He added that since there have been frequent outbreaks of the newcastle disease in Mwingi North civic education would be carried out among the populace to encourage them to vaccinate their birds against the disease twice every year.
He said once the chickens are vaccinated, they cannot become sick.
