By RFIPalled on 18-08-2019Modified on 18-08-2019 at 07:28
In South Africa, TB is still the most killer disease with 330 victims a day. It is now attacking wild animals that contract the bacterium of human tuberculosis. An elephant was found dead in 2016 in Kruger Park, the largest in the country, the size of Israel. The South African authorities have since been on alert and are conducting a series of tests on some of the 20,000 pachyderms in the park.
The Kruger Park helicopter has anesthetized a young elephant. The vet, Michelle Miller will perform a life-size bronchoscopy. And the operation will take an hour.
Doctors wonder about the behavior of the bacteria in a six-tonne elephant . " We do not have clear ideas yet. So maybe it's just one elephant that has been contaminated. There are some species that are exposed to the bacteria, but they are very resistant, so they do not contract the disease, "says Dr. Peter Buss.
No miracle treatment
The authorities are still wondering about how tuberculosis has entered the park. " There are several possibilities. It may be waste left by poachers . Or else waste left by tourists, "said veterinarian Michelle Miller.
For now, there is no miracle cure. The veterinarian uses the same products as for humans. " It's a 15-month treatment and administered daily. But it's really difficult and very expensive. About $ 60,000 per elephant, "says the veterinarian.
Authorities fear a ticking bomb because the incubation period for tuberculosis is ten years for elephants .
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