KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 15 — The state government is facing difficulty in implementing measures to treat and curb haemorrhagic septicaemia, due to indifferent attitude towards vaccination among breeders.
State Agriculture, Agro-based Industry and Rural Development Committee chairman Dr Azman Ibrahim said vaccine for the fatal disease that affects livestock is given free by the state Veterinary Services Department (DVS), but the breeders must cooperate.
“When an outbreak is detected at a location, the department will immediately carry out preventive measures by giving vaccines to all livestock in the district and surrounding areas.
“This is the department’s standard operating procedure (SOP) to contain the outbreak. Vaccines are given free of charge. We only need the breeders’ cooperation and I am confident that we have sufficient supply of the vaccine,” he told Bernama here today.
Dr. Azman said they were a few breeders who denied the department’s request (to vaccinate) as they assume that their animals are healthy, thus hindering the preventive measures which in the end result in a large number of deaths.
He said the disease was detected in the state in 2018 and DVS had taken the necessary actions as required in the SOP.
He urged breeders to take preventive steps by separating livestock with symptoms and immediately report the case to the department for vaccines to be administered quickly.
Yesterday, the media reported the death of 36 buffaloes belonging to the family of 15-year-old Muhammad Syukur Khamis also known as the ‘Kampung Boy’, believed to have been due to haemorrhagic septicaemia.
According to state DVS director Dr Mohd Termizi Ghazali, from Aug 9 to 28, 13 breeders had lost their livestock to the disease, involving 22 buffaloes and 15 cattle at Kampung Tuman Jerong, Marang.
Vaccination programmes were carried out beginning Aug 30 at 12 villages on 675 cows and 58 buffaloes belonging to 106 breeders, he added.
— Bernama
