RVF

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) has swept through Tanzania, especially our region, Dodoma, in the last few weeks. In our town a few people have died from it and have blared public service announcements from a truck with a loud speaker on top. Even in the villages surrounding our town public service announcements are being handed out by way of fliers. Because RVF affects livestock nobody has been selling cow, sheep, or goat meat in town. The butchers have closed their doors and because people still want their meat, the price of chickens has increased dramatically. A few months ago you could but a (live) chicken for 3,000 TZ shillings. Now they go for 8,000 TZ shillings in our town and in Dodoma town 10,000 TZ shillings. The rainy season will end in a month so the threat of RVF will decrease as the number of mosquitoes fall.

Teaching has been going well. Right now we're on Easter break and Russ and I are headed for Iringa for a little vacation. It's starting to get cold around here and we've closed windows in our house and use blankets now. Winter is upon us. Iringa is higher in elevation so it will be a little more chilly that it is here - oh boy!