| dc.description.abstract | Kenya has the largest dairy herd and highest
per capita milk consumption in east Africa.
Kenya has also experienced multiple
aflatoxicosis outbreaks in recent years, and
several surveys have reported high levels
of contamination in maize. When lactating
cows consume feed which is contaminated
with aflatoxins, they excrete a metabolite
(aflatoxin M1) in their milk. This
metabolite is injurious to human health,
but there is no current information on the
risk to human health posed by aflatoxins
in milk in Kenya. To fill this gap, a risk assessment
is being conducted in four agroecological
zones in Kenya (semi-arid, temperate,
sub-humid and humid). In 2014,
we conducted a survey of households in
these four zones. We surveyed 286 households
in 37 villages and in each household
administered a questionnaire and collected
feed and milk samples. In all, 280 milk
samples were analyzed using competitive
ELISA. The limit of detection was 2 parts
per trillion (ppt). Overall, 59 per cent of
all samples had aflatoxin below the limits
of detection, 32 per cent of samples had
aflatoxin between 2 ppt and 50 ppt while
9 per cent exceeded the WHO/FAO limit
of 50 ppt. | en_US |
