Anthax, an epdemic has hit Uganda’s famous national park, Queen Elizabeth National Park. According to the latest from Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), at least 27 hippos have been reported dead of a suspected anthrax outbreak in Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the most renowned national park for wildlife safaris in Uganda.  The disease is caused by a group of bacteria, the Bacillus anthracis. These bacteria besides being able to multiply several fold to reproduce new individuals in short periods of time, also take on inactive and resistant forms often referred to as spores. In the spore form, the bacteria can survive for decades, waiting for the right conditions and opportunity to return under various conditions such as digging up and exposing previously intact land and soil erosion.

UWA in collaboration with Government and other stakeholders have, in the past outbreaks, combined several control and preventative measures to deal with the disease. Besides the mass vaccinations of livestock in the area, they have immediately buried and sometimes burnt the carcasses, quarantined the affected areas and controlled the slaughter of animals.