TOBA TEK SINGH, March 4: Mysterious disease is taking a heavy toll of cattle all over the district. Affected farmers said here on Friday that hundreds of goats carried away due to some unknown disease in Chaks 241-GB , 242-GB, 178-GB and other nearby villages of Gojra.

They said a large number of cattle had died in the district owing to the foot and mouth disease during the last two months. They complained that the provincial Livestock and Dairy Development Department failed to cure the foot and mouth disease. They further alleged that almost every farmer in the district had to suffer the loss of at least one cattle.

Meanwhile, veterinary doctors claimed that the foot and mouth disease was curable through seven types of anti-virus serum being manufactured by various companies. They said one of these viruses was spreading the foot and mouth disease in Pakistan for which only one medicine was curable, now short in the market.

They said only the Punjab Veterinary Research Institute was manufacturing this medicine. When contacted, district livestock officer Dr Abdul Rehman claimed that it was wrong to assume that hundreds of cattle had died only due to the foot and mouth disease in the district.

He said a team of doctors had been sent to Chak 293-JB Bhangwan, where more than 20 cattle had died a few days ago, to know the cause of the death. However, he said that prophylactive vaccine, a precautionary medicine, was not supplied in required quantity to the district causing the spread of the foot and mouth disease.

The severe cold during February also caused the spread of this disease, he claimed. He said he had written to the provincial government to provide prophylactive vaccine in required quantity. He said that a vaccine bottle was available at Rs454 which was enough for 60 animals while a multinational company was marketing it at Rs900 per bottle.