K-P bans cattle entry sans health certificates

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Livestock Department has decided to ban the entry of animals without health certificates into the province in order to prevent the spread of the Congo virus.

In this regard, Section 144 is to be imposed in seven border districts of the province. The Livestock Department has sent letters to the Deputy Commissioners of Nowshera, Lakki Marwat, Kohat, Swabi, Karak, Dera Ismail Khan and Haripur which prohibit the entry of animals without health certificates into these districts so as to contain the spread of the Congo virus.

Livestock authorities have told The Express Tribune that there was a risk of the Congo virus spreading during Eidul Azha which could prove devastating for both humans and livestock.

To prevent this, therefore, strict surveillance is to be carried out at entry points to K-P districts located adjacent to other provinces, especially Punjab.

In addition to the Deputy Commissioners, district directors of the Livestock Department will also ensure that animals without health certificates do not enter the province.

The letter has also emphasized the need to thoroughly check the health certificates of animals at entry points and to take strict action against those who violate the rule.

It may be recalled that a young patient infected with the Congo virus had died at the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) in Peshawar on Tuesday – a first in the province after several cases had been reported from Attock in Punjab.

Luqman, an 18-year-old resident of Charsadda district, had been brought to the hospital on May 17 with flu and high fever. On the basis of suspicion, he had been asked to undergo a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test which had confirmed the presence of the Congo virus.

After Luqman’s condition deteriorated, he had been shifted to an isolation ward where, after two days of treatment, he had passed away on May 29.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2024.