Eidul Azha precaution: Rawalpindi to ‘fumigate’ cattle for Congo virus

Checkpoints set up amid Congo fever scare; sale of cattle restricted to Sector I-12 market

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD: The threat of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever has compelled authorities of the garrison city to spray insecticide on cattle being trucked into Rawalpindi ahead of Eidul Azha.

The District Livestock department has also set up checkpoints at eight entry points of the city to spray sacrificial animals entering the urban limits by the truckloads.

The dreaded Congo fever is caused by ticks on the animals’ skin. If contracted, the disease has fatality ratio of up to 40 per cent.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the district authorities said that all sacrificial animals will be sprayed before they are allowed into cattle markets in various parts of the city.



The authorities added that 13 teams – comprising of two technicians riding on a motorbike - will visit cattle markets to spray the livestock. Further, eight other teams riding in cars will visit different parts of the city to spray sacrificial animals.

In an advisory note, the authorities asked people visiting the cattle markets to wear light coloured dresses while avoiding colourful and heavy clothes. They warned that ticks from animals could hide in colourful clothes.

The authorities also asked the people not bring children along to cattle markets and follow guidelines issued by the National Institute of Health regarding Congo fever.

Section 144 slapped

The district magistrate of Islamabad has banned the sale of sacrificial animals in the capital except for markets designated by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

In a notification issued on Wednesday, District Magistrate Mushtaq Ahmed imposed Section 144 on the trade of livestock beyond the specified areas.

The decision, according to Ahmed, was taken in wider public interest.

Although the CDA has designated an area in Sector I-12 for setting up a cattle market, traders often disregard the rules seek higher profits by moving their sacrificial animals into ICT.



This influx of sacrificial animals on roads, green belts, and empty plots in various sectors of ICT poses not only a health hazard by spread of contagious diseases but are also obstruct the flow of traffic, may cause accidents and annoyance, injury to the public at large and danger to human life, the magistrate noted.

“Therefore, in exercise of powers conferred on me under Section 144 CrPC 1898, I do hereby prohibit any kind of sale, purchase, movement, presence of sacrificial animals in bulk in the sectorial areas of ICT except the area specified for the said purpose by CDA as ‘Cattle Mandi,” Ahmed said in the notification.

The ban has been imposed for 20 days.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2017.