Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-09
MARSHALL URGES
WATCHING CATTLE
Says Hog Cholera With Its Big
Losses Can Be Prevented
by Using Care

DR.. c. J. Marshall, secretary of the
State Livestock Sanitary Board and
State veterinarian, in a statement
issued to-day on the hog cholera sit
uation urges owners to raise their
own pigs or purchase animals from
farms where they know hogs have not
died or been destroyed within three
months.
From January 1 to the middle of
March-the beginning of the Spring
sale season-Pennsylvan was COM
paratlVely free from hog cholera" says
DR.. Marshall, "but with the opening of
the sale season the spread of hog
| cholera was startling. 1t seems that in
some sections it is the practice of deal
ers to buy up hogs at one sale to be
sold at another and the same batch of
hogs frequently changes hands three
or four times before finding a home
on farm. By this time the animals
are almost invariably infected with
hog cholera and after the farmer has
had them a few days they begin to
sicken and die"
Continuing, DIR. Marshall explained
the manner in which the board en-
| deavors to prevent the spread of infec-
ton.
When the outbreak of hog cholera
is discovered the premises are placed
under quarantine and the owner ad-
V1sed to have all animals that have
been exposed to infection, but are not
| showing signs of disease, vaccinated
by the local veterinarian at his own
| expense. The department will supply
the necessary hog cholera serum free
of cost. and as this material is worth
about S15 quart it can be readily
| seen that the Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture is bearing the
larger portion of expense incident to
the vaccination OF hogs. The next i'm
| portant step is to discover the source
of infection. Every effort is made to
etdermine this point and all hogs and
| pigs that can be learned of as having
| been exposed to infection are quaran-
| tined and vaccinated if the owner
cares to have the work carried out In
addition to the serving of a quaran-
tine order and the advice given rela-
tive to the vaccination of the animals
| 1t is explained to each owner that he
| is not to depend on the serum treat
ment to eradicate the disease, but he
must properly dispose of the carcasses
| of all hogs and pigs that die and thor
oughly clean and disinfect his prem
ises. A circular giving proper instruc-
tons for this work, the nature of hog
cholera. the serum treatment, ETC., is
given each owner.
1T will readily be seen that it is
practically impossible to trace the
source of infection when animals have
been handled through two or more
sales, but in order to break up the
practice of handling hogs that are
affected with hog cholera or have been
exposed to infection with that disease,
the department has at this time under
| advisement the instituting of proceed
ings against several dealers who were
responsible for the spread of hog
cholera infection in Pennsylvania this
Spring.
"At the present time there is very
little hog cholera being reported by
hog owners or local veterinarians, but
unless the people of the State will
avoid the hog sales that are usually
held in the late summer and fall we
will have an increase in the amount of
l-hoG cholera later in the Year.n