Brucellosis as a cause of human illness in Narok district, Kenya

Abstract

A retrospective study of medical records was undertaken to investigate the extent of brucellosis in causing ill-health among the Maasai pastoralists of Narok district in Kenya. The low level of brucellosis testing and lack of standardized diagnose for categories reported in the study indicate that it is not possible to estimate precisely human brucellosis incidence in Narok district. However, depending on the assumptions made in the study, an annual incidence range of 1 to 25 brucellosis cases per thousand, with perhaps a best guess of 10% per thousand would be estimated. The high occurrence of brucellosis among Maasai in Narok is probably related to a number of factors including their large herds of cattle, sheep and goats which roam widely in search of pasture and water and frequent mix with other herds, thus encouraging the spread of brucellosis among Maasai animals. The uncontrolled animal brucellosis and the very close association between the Maasai and their animals also contributed to the high incidence of human brucellosis among the maasai in Narok district