Black Quarter outbreak: In Upper Dir, over 150 cattle dead in 15 days

Disease-infected animals cannot be cured, meat not fit for consumption.

UPPER DIR:

An acute outbreak of Black Quarter disease has left more than a hundred cattle dead, a nightmarish loss of livestock for residents of Ushari Darra in Upper Dir.

People from Jabar, Kolal Bandhai, Tar Patar, Palam, Janarh and Almas said that the outbreak poses a serious challenge for district authorities.

Umer Zeb, a senior veterinary technician, told The Express Tribune that Black Quarter disease had spread to the union council of Jabar as well as the surrounding areas by the end of September.

“We have vaccinated more than 300 cattle and now it has been curbed,” Zeb said.

Black Quarter is an infectious bacterial disease, which swells up the skeletal muscle, causing severe pains and killing an animal within 24 hours. Once infected, the animal cannot be cured, he said.

Zeb added that no senior officials or veterinary doctors had been informed as they felt the disease was in control.

Mazharud Din, a radio journalist and a farmer, said that he was spreading the word about the disease in radio programmes since September. He had requested vets in the district to take action against the outbreak.

But to his dismay, no veterinary officers visited the area in over 15 days even after the death of nearly a hundred animals. “Seven of our cattle died within 15 days - three bulls, three cows and a calf,” Mazhar said, adding that the junior veterinary staff working in Jabar was unaware of the problem.

“They gave us a bottle with a liquid solution and told us to give it to the cattle. But they died anyway after consuming it.”

Some infected cattle were even sold to butchers in Usherai Darra, who slaughtered them for selling meat, he added. “We buried our dead animals,” Mazhar said.

The outbreak also caught District Livestock Officer Imtiaz Khan off-guard. He said that he would take action against his subordinates who did not inform him.

“We cannot help the infected animals because most of them will die anyway. But we can try to save the rest,” Khan said. Acknowledging that the disease can kill livestock in a short span of time, he ordered the mobile veterinary units to rush to the affected area and vaccinate animals.

Considering Eidul Azha is around the corner, he said that action would be taken against those selling the meat of infected animals because it is not fit for consumption.

Naveed, a resident of Palam, slaughtered both his cows when he realised they were dying. “When we skinned them, the meat turned black and blue and had a rotten smell.” He and his son buried the carcass in a ditch.

WRITTEN BY MUHAMMAD IRFAN

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2012.