CHITRAL, Nov 8: More than 1,000 cows have died of a bacterial disease in the lower part of the district and the Lotkoh Valley during the past two days.

The largely affected areas are Broze, Orghoch, Ayun, Drosh, Jughoor and Karimabad valley, where a large number of animals have died.

The symptoms suffered by cows were shivering and fever and local people said that all had died within two days.

People have complained about an acute shortage of drugs in the district's veterinary hospital and the indifferent attitude of the officials concerned. They said that the department had so far taken no measure to control the spread of the disease.

District livestock officer, Chitral, Dr Arifullah said that the disease, haemorrhagic septicaemia and black water, has gripped the animals. This is a bacterial disease and breaks out commonly after rains.

He blamed the spread of disease on the slaughter of buffaloes and cows from down-country districts.

Referring to the shortage of vaccines, he said that there was a shortage but medicines had been replenished by the department's provincial office and teams are being constituted and would be dispatched to different villages.

He was confident about the natural immunity of the animals and said that the affected animals' body developed immunity within one week and added that other unaffected cows would be saved by vaccines.

Meanwhile, the people have complained that the meat of the diseased cows was being sold in the bazaars because of the negligence of the tehsil municipal administration.