At least 200 goats have died in different villages of Lalmonirhat in the last week alone due to an outbreak of plague, and an acute shortage of vaccines to combat the disease.
In total around 5000 goats have been affected across the district by the spread of Pestedes Petits Ruminant (PPR), known as goat-plague, according to an official of Lalmonirhat District Livestock Officer (DLO).
Local goat farmers said a scarcity of PPR vaccines held by the DLO has been an impediment in treating the deadly disease, and in protecting their unaffected animals.
Salamot Hossain, a goat farmer of Kamlabari village under Aditmari upazila, said: “I had 10 goats, of which three have already died in the last three days due to PPR, and now symptoms have started to show in the rest.”
“I went at the Aditmari upazila livestock office to get PPR vaccines but the livestock official said they were already out of stock,” he said.
Another farmer of Votmari village of Kaliganj upazila, Sahidul Islam, said he got only one vaccine even though the PPR disease had affected five of his goats, while Mansur Ali, a goat farmer of Kulaghat village in Lalmonirhat sadar upazila, was in despair at the situation.
“My two goats died in the morning yesterday due to the goat plague and I suspect the remaining three will die any moment if I do not vaccinate them immediately,” he said.
A Veterinary Surgeon of Lalmonirhat DLO office, Dr Bazlur Rashid, said the symptoms of PPR in goats include high fever, severe cold with difficulty in breathing, diarrhea etc. If treatment is not provided on time, around 80%-85% of affected goats will die within a few days.
In fact, DLO doctors said there is no specific drug and vaccination is the only way to combat the viral disease.
DLO sources said there were at least 200,000 goats in Lalmonirhat district, but the government had sent only 20,000 doses of vaccines this year. In the last eight months, 16,500 goats had been vaccinated.
The Lalmonirhat DLO, Dr Abu Hossain Sarker, said the mortality rate of PPR affected goats is dropping as goat owners are gradually becoming aware of the disease. However, he admitted there was a shortage of PPR vaccines in their stock.
“I have already sent a letter to the higher authority concerned for supplying more vaccines in the district. The government should ensure the adequate supply of PPR vaccines to combat the disease,” he said.
