Four cows culled at Vithura farm

Five samples from the farm had tested positive for bacterial infection, brucellosis

April 10, 2021 05:23 pm | Updated 05:23 pm IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Animal Husbandry officials have launched preventive measures after a few cases of brucellosis, a zoonotic infection, was detected in animals at the Jersey Farm, Vithura. Department officials said there is no cause for concern surrounding the incident.

Four cows at the farm have been culled as a precautionary measure. Efforts are on to identify further cases and steps have been taken to contain the infection, Dr. K. M. Dileep, director, Animal Husbandry Department, said. Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the bacteria of the genus Brucella.

Five samples from the Vithura farm, which has over 200 cows, had tested positive for the bacterial infection during a routine inspection carried out at the farm, an official of the State Institute of Animal Diseases (SIAD) said. The bacterial infection can spread from animals to humans, most commonly through the consumption of raw or unpasteurised dairy products. But in the present case, no cases have been reported in humans so far.

The incident had sparked allegations that the farm authorities had failed to take prompt action. The District Congress Committee had issued a statement on Friday demanding action against erring officials. But department officials pointed out that no lapses had occurred in tackling the infection.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.