7
a good collection of the biting flies in the Punjab can be made. Recent investi-
gations have shown that the importance of the part played by the biting flies of
this country in spreading many of the more fatal epidemic diseases of animals
cannot be overestimated. It is, therefore, expedient that the services of the
subordinate staff of this Department should be utilised in acquiring an accurate
knowledge of their prevalence and distribution in the Province.
SECTION 1 (a).—EQUNE CONTAGIOUS DISEASE.
Mortality.
36. 107 deaths from equine contagious diseases were reported against 38
last year in the non-selected districts.
Glanders. Table II.
37. During the year, two cases of Glanders were reported from Sialkot
and Lahore City and destroyed after the diagnosis was
confirmed.
Surra. Table II.
38. 90 deaths from Surra were reported against 19 in 1906-07. A
serious outbreak occurred in the Hoshiarpur district along
the banks of the river Beas in the Dasuya tahsil, where 66
animals died out of 78 attacked. A special report was called for from this Depart-
ment in regard to the prevalence of Surra in the Gurdaspur district which was
alleged by the Inspecting Veterinary Officer, Northern Command, to have been
"saturated" with the disease. The records of this office as well as enquiries
made from the District Officers did not bear out the assertion and a report was
accordingly submitted to the Director of Agriculture to this effect.
Dourine.
39. Two suspected cases of Dourine were reported in the districts of Delhi
and Hissar, but the disease was not confirmed on examina-
tion. In the course of tours, mares were collected at con-
venient places where possible, and examined for Dourine with negative results.
The disease appears to be non-existent in the Province.
Other equine contagious
disease. Table II.
40. Under the head, other contagious disease, 15 deaths were reported
from various causes of which tetanus and strangles were the
most prominent.
SECTION 1 (b).—BOVINE CONTAGIOUS DISEASE.
Rinderpest. Table II.
41. During the year, 3,531 cases of Rinderpest occurred of which 1,714
proved fatal, against 15,890 cases and 7,971 deaths in
the preceding year. As already explained, the decrease is
due to the healthy conditions which prevailed in 1907-08.
Preventive inoculations.
Table III.
42. 14,815 inoculations were performed on contact animals in 70 out"
breaks by the subordinate staff with satisfactory results.
Last year, 81,008 animals were inoculated in 289 outbreaks.
In the course of outbreaks, 792 uninoculated animals died, but only 16 deaths
occurred after inoculation. There were a few instances of unwillingness to accept
inoculation, but, in the majority of these, the opposition was overcome without
difficulty. In some of the districts of the South Punjab, especially in out-of-the-
way places, the people are entirely against inoculation at present. But, on the
whole, the method is appreciated and becoming popular.
Hæmorrhagic septicæmia.
Table II.
43. Hæmorrhagic septicæmia was reported from 25 districts. Kangra
and Lahore suffered the most with respectively, 602 and
594 deaths. The total number of deaths reported from
this disease amounted to 7,351 out of 8,133 animals attacked against 7,531
cases and 6,814 deaths last year.
Preventive inoculations.
Table III.
44, 44,236 contact animals were inoculated against hæmorrhagic septi-
cæmia during the first nine months of the year. As a series of
experiments recently carried out at the Imperial laboratory
indicated that the serum was not likely to prove efficacious in dealing with actual
outbreaks, its issue was suspended by the Inspector-General, Civil Veterinary
Department. Inoculations were accordingly discontinued from January 1908. As
previously reported, there has always been a doubt regarding the utility of this
serum. In any case there have been no bad results from its use in this Province,
and in some places, the people have every confidence in its efficacy. Enquiries are
being made to determine if this serious disease cannot be dealt with in some