By The Arusha News Reporter
Lolovon Street leaders in Musa Ward, just north of Kisongo Ward in Arusha District, moved quickly to avert a possible large-scale outbreak of rabies after ordering the isolation of donkeys that became aggressive and started biting others late last month.
A total of four donkeys died in three different homesteads within three days of suffering from the strange behaviour, village leaders told The Arusha News.
Perplexed by the behaviour of the animals at first, village leaders contacted the Arusha Society for the Protection of Animals (ASPA), who rushed to the village and took blood samples from some of the dead donkeys. These samples were sent to the zonal offices of the Tanzania Veterinary Laboratories Authority (TVLA) in Arusha, where they tested positive for rabies, ASPA officials said.
“We quickly ordered the isolation of donkeys that were observed to behave strangely overnight,” said Mr. Julius Emmanuel, the Lolovon Street Chairman, adding that one homestead lost two donkeys while two others lost a donkey each. The last donkey died on January 23, 2025, and so far, there had been no reported cases of cross-infection to humans.
Dr. Rowenya Mushi of TVLA confirmed having received a number of samples brought by ASPA but directed this reporter to ASPA, their clients, for confirmation of the sample results in line with ethical standards and practices for revealing client information.
ASPA officials confirmed to The Arusha News that the samples had tested positive for rabies, a viral infection that can attack humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife.
Mr. Emmanuel also said there had been no cases of dogs and cats being infected but noted that hyenas often roamed the village at night.
Rabies is caused by a virus present in the saliva of infected animals. The disease is incurable and fatal, especially when the infection reaches the brain or spinal cord. However, it can be prevented through vaccination.
Contacted for comment, Arusha Regional Medical Officer (RMO), Dr. Charles Mkombachepa, told The Arusha News that he was not aware of the incident but promised to call back after making his own inquiries. He was on an official trip to Moshi at the time, he said, but he never called back.
Mr. Emmanuel said village medical officials had been alerted by the leadership.
