HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao interacts with the anthrax patients at KGH in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday | Express
HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao interacts with the anthrax patients at KGH in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday | Express

No anthrax symptoms in animals, vaccination on

After 8 positive cases reported, 8,942 animals, including cattle, goat & sheep, in 5 villages in Vizag Agency area have been vaccinated.

VISHAKAPATNAM: After eight positive cases of cutaneous anthrax were reported from the Kodupunjuvalasa village of Araku Valley in Vizag Agency, teams from the Animal Husbandry department administered vaccination to 8,942 animals, including cattle, goat and sheep, at five villages in 10-km radius on Thursday.

While the patients are undergoing treatment in the dermatology department of the King George Hospital (KGH) in Vizag, the survey teams found no suspected cases. During a survey, the team of Animal Husbandry department found no animal infected or in ill-health condition.

“When we enquired to the villagers, it was found that meat of a dead goat which had anthrax was consumed by a group of villagers, who developed skin infections after three weeks,” said Koteswara Rao, the joint director, Animal Husbandry department.

Anthrax vaccine will be administered to 5,243 cattle and 3,699 sheep and goats in 16 revenue villages. The vaccine will be administered five times, once in nine months.

“Generally, anthrax live spore vaccine should be given only to the affected area in a proper way.

Areas which do not have such symptoms should not be given, else they might be infected by syringe. As the disease is found among people, we are administering the vaccine in the area,” he said.

According to the Animal Husbandry Department officials, animals should be buried in sixfeet deep. The spores of animals will be in soil for more than 60 years. It is mostly during rainy season that the alkaline levels will make the spores active. Any animal which drinks the infected water or eats grass, it will contract anthrax.

“In the case of severely infected animal, it will die within hours. Soon after the tribals distribute the meat among the neighbours without the knowledge of how it died,” Rao said.

Meanwhile, the teams which surveyed the surrounding villages in the agency area found no such anthrax symptoms in any animal.

PHC to treat patients

Out of a total of 21 persons of Kondipunjuvalasa who consumed the meat of the infected goat, eight were reported positive and are being treated at the dermatology department of the KGH. According to DMHO Uma Sundari, the patients are slowly getting the symptoms of cutaneous anthrax. “As a precautionary measure, we have asked the PHC to treat them,” said the DMHO.

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