Glanders is the name of a disease in horses and mules and it is a contagious disease. Glanders has been detected in horses, mules, donkeys and ponies pressed into service to carry old and infirm pilgrims from Katra to Bhawan at the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. It is a dangerous disease and is likely to infect human beings if proper precautionary measures are not adopted quickly. One thousand animals are pressed into service at Katra for carrying the pilgrims up the hill. Imagine how much horse dropping accumulates along the road and how much pollution of air it is likely to cause. A contractor has brought ponies and mules from Uttar Pradesh and has reportedly carried them through clandestinely path avoiding the Lakhanpur Customs where ponies are subjected to test before allowed to enter the State territory. The ponies of this contractor are reported to have been positive to Glanders and local horses have contracted disease from them at Katra. Shrine Board authorities say that they had taken the preventive measures and finished the quadrupeds that have contracted Glanders.
However, it is desirable that a thorough check is conducted on all horses and ponies that are pressed into service in Katra. The Department of Veterinary Science should immediately find out how best this contagion can be controlled. There should be very efficient arrangement of collecting the horse dung within short intervals and disposed off properly in a scientific manner. Thousands of pilgrims are visiting the shrine daily. God forbid if the disease is contracted by human beings, the number of pilgrims to the shrine will fall drastically because nobody wants to risk his or her life for the sake of pilgrimage. For many, it is a pilgrimage and for some it is pleasure yatra; both needs have to be responded to.
We hope that the Shrine Board and the Veterinary Department of the State will join heads to sort out this issue and prevent the disease from spreading further. The village folks in surrounding areas are also vulnerable and they have to be immunized before any serious challenge to health appears.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel