Spurt in glanders cases among equines worries Hisar centre
The deadly, contagious disease affects animals of horse family; majority dies
HISAR: The scientists at the National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) here are concerned over the spurt in glanders cases among animals of the horse family across the northern region.
Of the 56,566 samples of equines (horses, mules and ponies) received by the National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) since March 2015, as many as 368 have been found positive for glanders.
The deadly contagious disease affects animals of the horse family and symptoms are swelling below the jaw, mucous discharge from the nostrils and lumps in the body.
The centre found 87 positive cases in the 2015-16 financial year and there has been a spurt ever since. Of the 49 positive samples from J&K, most were from Katra, 153 were from Uttar Pradesh and 61 from Gujarat.
Five cases have been reported from Haryana, two from Yamunanagar district and three from Sonepat. No case has been detected in Punjab.
BN Tripathi, NRCE director, said, “Last time so many cases in a single year were reported in 1998 and 2006. This time, 61 glanders cases have been found in Gujarat alone. But all military horses in India are healthy.”
Scientists Harishankar Singha and Sandeep Khurana said, “We are receiving more than 150 samples every day from across the country. And NRCE is the only centre in the Asia to test the samples of horse, mule and pony for glanders.”
Tripathi said, “The only way to out is to kill the affected animal and bury it in a pit.
The carcass should be covered with a layer of salt and lime powder to keep dogs at bay. The treatment is very costly and it takes more than a year for the animal to recover.”
The test for glanders is free of cost at the NRCE. As per the centre authorities, the situation was bad in Western UP, where maximum positive cases have been detected.
The area is known for breeding and people send horses, mules and ponies to various places in India.
COMPENSATION POLICY
The government pays ₹25,000 to the owner for killing the affected horse and ₹16,000 for the pony or mule.