The victims include residents of Rugeyo and Gisunzu villages in Kageyo cell of Mwili sector.

IGIHE has learnt that a cow belonging to a resident died of unknown disease on Thursday last week and the sector veterinarian agreed with residents to bury the cow. He prohibited them to eat the meat of the carcass to avoid any possible associated sickness.

It is said that residents shortly exhumed the cow, washed fleshes and sold meat to buyers in two neighboring villages.

They were not affected immediately after eating exhumed meat but started feeling bellyache and caught with diarrhea on Monday.

The executive secretary of Mwili sector, Bright Nsoro has told IGIHE that 42 residents have been taken to health facilities after developing health complications connected to eating exhumed meat.

“20 of 42 people have been attended to and discharged while 22 are still admitted at Kageyo Health Center,” he explained.

Nsoro appealed on residents to avoid eating untested meat and respect advice from veterinarians.

“No one knows the disease killing the cows. Sometimes, a sick cow is injected with various drugs for a long period before dying that its meat might be poisonous.That is why we recommend residents to buy meat from authorized butcheries instead of buying from un-kwon sources,” he noted.

All residents who ate the cow are showing symptoms of belly pains, vomiting and diarrhea among others.