The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. citizens to avoid all contact with dead animals in the wild, particularly hippopotamuses (hippos) found in rivers and flood plains inside Bwabwata National Park. Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism has confirmed anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) as the cause of death and has advised the public not to touch or eat meat from these dead animals. There have been no infected carcasses found in areas open to the public. All of the cases discovered so far were in restricted wildlife management areas. However, caution is urged for all U.S. citizens in and around Bwabwata National Park.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that people become infected with anthrax when spores enter the body. Anthrax is not contagious. The CDC advises against working with infected animals or animal products (including hides) and eating raw or undercooked meat from infected animals.
For more information about anthrax, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at https://www.cdc.gov/anthrax/basics/index.html. To obtain CDC travel notices, call the CDC at 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) from within the United States, or 1-404-639-3534 from overseas, or visit the CDC website at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel.
For further information from U.S. Embassy Windhoek:
See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Namibia Country Specific Information.
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
Contact the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek
United States Embassy
American Citizen Services Unit
14 Lossen street
Ausspannplatz
Windhoek, Namibia
Telephone in Namibia: +(264) (061) 2958522
Telephone from U.S.: (011) (264) (61) 2958522
American Citizen Services e-mail: consularwindhoek@state.gov
Website: https://na.usembassy.gov/
After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +(264)(85) 6860853.
