(3)
19. Surra.—This year this disease appeared only in the district of Naini
Tal and 40 animals either succumbed or were destroyed under the Glanders and
Farcy Act as applied to surra.
20. Strangles.—One hundred and fifty-five cases of this disease have been
reported.
21. Tetanus.—During
the year under report 86 cases of this disease were
reported by veterinary assistants and 66 died. There is every reason to believe
that many more cases actually occur, as at present only isolated oases which the
veterinary assistants are called upon to treat are brought directly to the notice of
this department.
22. Other contagious diseases.—Under
this heading cases of horse pox,
piroplasmosis or bilious fever, rabies, as well as those diseases caused by internal
and external parasites have been met with.
BOVINE.
See table III.
23. Rinderpest.—The province has this year been visited in a severe manner
by this disease, all the districts having been more or less affected. The epizootic
assumed a most virulent form in the districts of Dehra Dun, Saharanpur, Budaun,
Cawnpore, Allahabad, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Banda, Mirzapur, Gorakhpur, Basti,
Almora, Garhwal, and Kheri. Vigorous campaigns were organised where the
disease assumed a serious aspect, and veterinary assistants were deputed from the
headquarters staff under experienced inspectors to give assistance in these cases
where the district veterinary assistants were considered insufficient or were
incapable of dealing with them thoroughly. Inoculations were carried out in 43
districts.
See table III.
24. Haemorrhagic Septicaemia.—This
appeared in 35 districts with a total
mortality of 1,627 as against 1,029 of last year. Four thousand one hundred and
thirteen cattle were inoculated.
25. Blackquarter.—This
malady appeared in 16 districts with a total
mortality of 236 as against 178 of last year. In those places where the disease
appears to recur periodically vaccination was resorted to as a preventive measure.
26. Anthrax.—This
is reported to have occurred in 22 districts against 19
last year and destroyed 758 head of cattle. Entire reliance, however, cannot be
placed on these figures owing to the fact that the disease usually occurring
sporadically, is of sudden onset and runs a rapidly fatal course. It is not easily
diagnosed by laymen and often is mistaken for other diseases. It is therefore not
likely that all the cases occurring are always correctly reported.
27. Foot-and-mouth disease.—This was reported from 43 districts. The
losses from this disease are comparatively small, being usually confined to young
stock, or old and weakly animals.
It is however very troublesome to the
agricultural community, especially during ploughing or harvest times, and it
generally happens that if one case occurs the whole of the village cattle become
affected, owing to the apathy and ignorance of the people, who will not realize
the necessity for segregation, etc. The veterinary assistants have done good
work in visiting these outbreaks, and advising the owners as to treatment and
prevention. Medicines were distributed free where district funds were available.
28. Other cuntagi us diseases.— One thousand live hundred and eighty-eight
deaths were reported to have occurred from other contagious diseases which
included piroplasmosis, pleuro-pneumonia, tuberculosis, contagious abortion etc.
29. Contagious discases amongst other animals.
During the year under
review 1,573 deaths are reported to have occurred from various ailments such as
fowl cholera, chicken-pox, rabies, distemper, piroplasmosis, tetanus, and certain
parasitic diseases.
See table III.
30. Preventive
inoculation.—During
the year 54,398 inoculations and
vaccinations have been carried out, chiefly against rinderpest, although haemor-
rhagic septicaemia and blackquarter have also been treated by these methods.
This work, however, has been seriously handicapped owing to the shortage of
rinderpest serum caused by an unusually large demand for the same, not only in
these provinces but over the whole of India. Had it not been that a reserve stock
Was laid in several months previously, the consequences would have been very
disastrous. In most tracts this method of dealing with rinderpest and other
maladies has now come to be looked upon with great favour by cattle owners,