BENGALURU: After the first case of Glanders was reported in East Bengaluru in mid-April, the animal husbandry department cordoned off DJ Halli and its surroundings, to control the spread of the disease. The area remains cordoned off and department officials say it will be so for the next three months, or till samples test negative.
Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Director Manjunath Palegar told TNIE that it takes three months for the disease to die down gradually. “As per procedure, we have to take samples with a time gap of at least a month. The first sample was taken on April 15 when two horses tested positive for Glanders. No equines are allowed in a 5-km radius of the vicinity where the first case was reported. The owner has also been cautioned not to purchase any horses for the next few months.”
The first case of Glanders was reported on April 16 by the department, after they had found two horses belonging to Khalid Shariff had tested positive for Glanders. They were found residing in a shed-cum-house on Modi Road, DJ Halli. Soon after this, the department declared the area as the epicentre of the disease and an infected zone. Since then, there are restrictions on the movement and housing of equines, donkeys and mules. The department also declared a 5-25 km radius area as surveillance zone.
Soon after the case was reported, one of the horses died of the disease, and the department euthanised the second infected horse on April 17.
He added that the department is regularly checking the health status of the third horse, which first tested negative for Glanders.
Department officials explained that Glanders is a contagious disease and leads to death among equines, donkeys and mules. It can also transmit to humans and be fatal. There are around 1,200 horses in Bengaluru, and the department is collecting samples of all the horses at regular intervals. Glanders is caused by the bacteria Burkholderia mallei. It leads to ulcers in the respiratory tracts and lungs, and formation of skin called farcy. It is a zoonotic disease.