3
18. Anthrax.—Twenty-two
deaths from this disease have been reported from 7
districts as against 36 deaths reported in the previous year from the same
number of districts. In the year under report diagnosis was confirmed in the districts
of Cachar, Sylhet, Goalpara, Kamrup and Sihsagar, but the cases at Tippera and
Darrang were not reported during the year and no definite diagnosis was made.
19. Surra.—This disease was confined to four districts and 29 deaths have been
reported. In the previous year 70 deaths were reported from five districts. The
majority of the deaths occurred amongst the ponies on the Shillong-Gauhati road.
The cases reported from Khasi and Jaintia Hills and Kamrup were confirmed by
microscopic examination. The seven deaths from Darrang and Sihsagar were not
reported during the year and no microscopic examination was made. No information
was available from Sylhet which reported 19 cases in the previous year.
I visited the Sylhet surra area in November on hearing that there was an outbreak
of surra; on my arrival I found that the diagnosis was erroneous and on enquiry from
the Manager of the Tea Estate, was informed that there had been no outbreak similar
to the one in the previous year.
20. Under India Government Notification No. 179-127-4, dated the 1st February
1910, surra has been scheduled under the Glanders and Farcy Act in the districts of
Sylhet, Cachar and Kamrup, in the station of Shillong, on the Shillong-Gauhati
cart road in the district of Khasi and Jaintia Hills and on a strip of land on either
side of the said road throughout its length and measuring 400 yards in width from the
centre of the roadway. This has undoubtedly improved the working facility to stamp
out the disease and steps can be taken more promptly to remove infected animals.
21. Since the publication of my last year's report a successful treatment has been
found by the Imperial Bacteriologist, Major Holmes. for surra. Under favourable
circumstances and with animals not too emaciated and debilitated treatment will be
tried and the results noted for future report.
22. Dourine and Erizantic Lamphangits.—For
the last three years no cases of
Dourine or Epizootic Lymphangitis have been reported.
BOVINES.
23. Rinderpest.—It will bo seen that this disease was more or less prevalent in.
all the districts of Eastern Bengal and Assam. The disease was reported from 24
districts and caused 28.860 deaths agaiast 44,126 in the previous year. The total
number of deaths reported from this disease therefore shows a large reduction from
that of the previous year. There was a considerable increase in Lakhimpur and a
slight increase in four other districts; the latter may be due to error in reporting,
but the majority of the districts show a. corsilerable decrease; especially is this notice-
able in Mymensingh, where the mortality from Rinderpest is reduced from 1,201 to 658,
in Bakarganj from 8,132 to 1,315, in Noakhali from 1,077 to 143 and in Goalpara
from 5,405 to 462.
In Kamrup, Darrang and Nowgong the number of deaths is still very high.
21. Foot and Mouth disease.— This disease has been reported from 19 districts
as causing 7,783 death. In the previous year it was reported from the same number of
districts as causing 11,852 death. The same remarks that were made last year
regarding the correctness of diagnosis and accuracy of the figures can only be repeated.
Darrang, Nowgong and Sibsagar report the heaviest losses.
25. Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia.—This
disease has been reported from 15 districts
as causing 3,327 deaths as against 19 districts reporting 8,040 deaths in the previous
year. The heaviest mortality has again been reported from Kamrup.
26. Black Quarter.—It was reported from two districts and caused 3S deaths.
In the previous year 5G5 deaths were reported from six districts.
27. Anthrax.—The
disease occurred in 11 districts and caused 1,820 deaths. In
the previous year it was reported from 11 districts and caused 2,051 deaths. The cases
at Tippera, Darrang and Lakhimpur were not previously reported during the year
and consequently a definite diagnosis was not made. The heaviest loss has been
reported from Sibsagar and Lakhimpur.
From other contagious diseases 8,448 deaths are reported as against 17,939 in the
previous year. This is a considerable reduction and besides indicating that
contagious
disease was less prevalent, it may also indicate that the symptoms and names of these
diseases are becoming more widely known with the result that these statistics are
becoming more accurate.