October 29, 2001	Monday	Shaba'an 11, 1422

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PESHAWAR, Oct 28: Several cases of anthrax in livestock have been reported from the Orakzai and Kurram agencies prompting an urgent need to control the disease in the affected and adjoining areas, official sources told Dawn here on Friday.

“The anthrax outbreak, in livestock, has been reported, at least, in two villages — Guldara and Danaikhula — in the Orakzai agency of Fata prompting the need for vaccination on an urgent basis to control the spread of the bacteria,” said official sources.

Besides, said the sources, the Veterinary Research Institute (VRI), Peshawar, had also received demand from Kurram agency for vaccine to control anthrax .

The veterinary doctors in Kurram agency, said the sources, had asked for the vaccine after several anthrax infected animals were brought to them.

Anthrax, a zonosis disease which gets transferred from animals to human beings in rare and specific instances, was a common disease in Pakistan, as far as the animals were concerned, said the sources.

However, mortality rate in animals appears to be far more higher than human beings. According to a veterinary researcher, the anthrax infected animals hardly survive for 48 hours.

Of the three forms of health problems anthrax bacteria causes to human beings — skin itching, intestinal trouble (which causes pain in stomach) and pulmonary form (in which lungs are affected) — the last one is fatal, said the sources.

“Anthrax poses risk to the human life only in the pulmonary form though it is also curable and some of the antibiotic medicines are really very effective,” said a senior doctor of the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar.

According to him, due to the high-level of immunity among the people of NWFP, in particular, and Pakistan, in general, anthrax has never posed serious threat.

“Peshawar has no history of anthrax infection,” said the LRH doctor.

However, a senior veterinary officer of NWFP said that hundreds of animals got killed due to high rate of anthrax in Kurram agency, North Waziristan agency and the Frontier Region of Kohat district.

The director VRI, Peshawar, Dr Nasir Hussain Shah, when contacted, confirmed the reporting of anthrax hit cattle in parts of NWFP and Fata besides confirming demand for vaccine from Kurram agency.

“There is no shortage of vaccine at VRI, but the supply of the same happens to be demand-based,” said Dr Nasir when asked about the provision of vaccine to the affected areas.