Anthrax outbreak in Vellore kills 37 sheep, state swings into action to prevent spread

VELLORE: A major outbreak of the killer disease anthrax -which affects most mammals and can be especially devastating to livestock herds -in Keelvenkatapuram village in Nemili block has killed at least 37 sheep on Thursday and Friday.
The government stepped in quickly , dispatching four special medical teams from the animal husbandry department to launch a special drive to vaccinate livestock in the area.Department of animal husbandry joint director Dr A Rajasekar said the department received an alert on Friday that the sheep of seven farmers died in clusters on Thursday .
The department acted immediately and sent four special medical teams, each comprising a veterinary assistant surgeon, livestock inspector and two other supporting staff.
The medical team with the help of a local body buried the animals in a deep pit and sprinkled a huge quantity of bleaching powder before closing it to prevent spread of the disease.
The officials took the blood samples from the dead animals for tests, which proved the animals died of anthrax. Anthrax is a serious and highly contagious infectious disease caused by gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria known as Bacillus anthracis.Its spores are extraordinarily hardy and are able to survive in harsh conditions for decades in a dormant state. Although it is rare, people can contract anthrax if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products.
The preliminary investi gation into the outbreak of the disease revealed that the owners of the sheep removed the skin after the first animal died -an extremely dangerous thing to do because it causes the disease to spread at a rapid rate. Once symptoms of anthrax started to manifest among the sheep, the sheep rearers also started medicating the animals.
“Removing the skin or cutting the animal will spread the disease. Even postmortem of the carcasses of the animal is prohibited,“ an official said. The officials procured medicines from Institute of Veterinary Preventi ve Medicine at Ranipet for the vaccination drive. “We are covering villages in the radius of 8km from Keelvenkatapuram village,“ assistant director of animal husbandry Dr E Udhayakumar said.