KENDRAPARA: The Veterinary department has issued an alert for villages under Garadapur block following death of 30 buffaloes in a suspected Sahana (hemorrhagic septicemia) outbreak in the last four days. Chief District Veterinary Officer of Kendrapara Prasanna Kumar Patnaik said people residing in the affected areas have been instructed to wear gloves while handling the carcasses.
They have also been instructed to bury the carcasses in deep pits to prevent the spread of the disease.
While samples of 12 buffaloes have been sent to the Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI) in Cuttack to ascertain if they were indeed affected by the disease, a team from the institute also rushed to the villages to examine the situation on Thursday.
Patnaik said rapid response teams comprising livestock inspectors, village gomitras and veterinary officers have been formed to keep the disease in check. “People have also been asked to keep away from carcasses and inform the administration if they come across any,” he said. The disease is confined to five villages in the block at present.
Hemorrhagic septicemia is a severe bacterial disease and spread through contact with infected animals, contaminated clothes, equipment and ingestion or inhalation of the bacteria. There are several signs that show animals of a particular herd are infected by the various. The main symptoms include undigested food in faeces, swishing tail, reduced cudding reduced milk yield.
Meanwhile, the villagers accused the officials of doing little to curb the disease which was first detected in the first week of this month. “Only after it spread to several villages did the authorities come up with plan to check the spread of the disease,” said Dibakar Sandha of Tarada village who lost his two buffaloes on Wednesday.
Bovine crisis
Rapid response teams formed to keep the disease in check
Samples of 12 buffaloes sent to ADRI, Cuttack
People asked to keep away from carcasses and bury them in deep pits