People told to keep away from meat

Srikakulam: Anthrax disease spreading in five villages of the three mandals in Srikakulam district. After the death of seven sheep at Karakavalasa village in Jalumuru mandal, officials of the animal husbandry department have been alerted and they sent the meat for tests at a laboratory in Hyderabad.  

In cases in which anthrax was confirmed positive,  the officials brought 3,000 doses of anthrax vaccine immediately from the Pader Agency of Visakhapatnam and vaccinated 500 animals in Karakavalasa, Annupuram, Bidulapuram, Marrivalasa, Kittalapadu villages situated in Hiramandal, Jalumuru, Saravakota mandals.

Anthrax vaccine is available at Paderu area where the disease recently spread and surplus medicine was available. On learning about the spread of the disease among the animals, the officials of the district medical and health department were alerted and the people were also cautioned not to consume the meat of sheep, goat and other animals for some time. 

“Anthrax disease automatically spreads among humans, if we consume the meat of animals affected by the disease”, the divisional medical officer  Dr Menda Praveen said while speaking to The Hans India here on Wednesday. 

Anthrax disease is likely to spread among animals within a radius of three km from Karakavalasa village where the disease was found. It was found that in the three km radius, a total of 20 villages are located in three mandals.

“To prevent it from further spreading, we have been instructed to purchase 13,500 doses of anthrax vaccine from a private laboratory in Bengaluru and it will reach soon,” deputy director (DD) of animal husbandry department Dr Manchu Karunakar Rao told The Hans India. “We will vaccinate all animals found within the three km radius after procuring vaccine”, the deputy director added.