The Animal Husbandry Department launched an intensive disease prevention drive in the anthrax-hit Kadamankulam area of the Kallooppara grama panchayat in on Friday.
Two cows died at a small farm at Kadamankulam due to Bacillus anthracis bacterial infection on Wednesday.
A team of experts led by N. Jayakrishnan, Assistant Director, and S. Nandakumar, veterinary surgeon, from the Chief Disease Investigation Office attached to the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) at Palode, visited the farm and the surrounding areas on Friday.
Fencing of burial site
The experts advised fencing of the burial site of the deceased cows and disinfection of the drainage carrying waste from the cattle shed to check spreading of the bacteria spores to more areas. The experts, accompanied by the vaccination squad led by George Varghese, veterinary surgeon, visited eight small cattle farms in the locality.
A total of 300 doses of Anthrax Spore Vaccine despatched from the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals at Palode have reached the Veterinary Hospital at Kallooppara on Friday morning. The squad had administered the vaccine to 40 cattle head on Friday under the supervision of the expert team as well as Eliyamma Abraham, District Coordinator of the Animal Disease Control Project, and Janaki Das, Technical Assistant at AHD district office.Dr. Varghese told The Hindu that in the 2-km radius of the affected farm house, nearly 200 cattle head would be administered with the vaccine on a war footing.
The incidence of anthrax at Kadamankulam was reported to the National Animal Disease Report System on Thursday and the expert team would submit the action taken report to the Animal Husbandry Director S. Chandrankutty soon, according to Dr. Nandakumar.
The expert team held discussions with the panchayat president and secretary on the importance of the disease prevention drive in the locality.
