The government on Tuesday formed steering committees at all tiers – from the national level to the grassroots – across the country to check spread of anthrax among cattle and humans as well and contain the situation ahead of Eid-ul-Azha when Muslims would sacrifice hundreds of thousands of animals.
An inter-ministerial meeting at the secretariat took stock of the anthrax situation and made the decision with the minister for livestock and fisheries, Abdul Latif Biswas, in the chair.
The meeting ordered measures to tackle anthrax and remove public fear through a countrywide awareness campaign as 46 cows and 56 goats in different areas have been affected in one month after the first case was detected on August 18 in Sirajganj.
‘We have initiated a move to vaccinate all cattle, including cows, goats, buffaloes and lambs in 18 upazilas of eight districts affected by anthrax. The committees with representatives from all stakeholders would remain vigilant across the country against spread of anthrax,’ said Abdul Latif, who is also leading the 25-member national steering committee.
He said a five-member technical committee headed by a joint secretary of his ministry had also been constituted.
Divisional commissioners would lead the seven divisional steering committees and the deputy commissioners in 64 districts would head the district committees while lawmakers have been made chief advisers of the upazila level committees led by upazila nirbahi officers and union council chairmen would head the union level steering committees.
The government’s move came against the backdrop of anthrax outbreak in various places across the country, affecting trade in livestock and rawhide while butchers and cattle traders were accusing the government of creating panic among the people, leading to drastic fall in consumption of meat.
Around 590 people across the country have so far been infected with the disease, which has spread to the districts of Sirajganj, Pabna, Tangail, Kushtia, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Thakurgaon and Kishoreganj, according to official records.
Officials from the ministries concerned, including health, local government, commerce, home affairs, environment, commerce, establishment and information, among others, attended the meeting.
The minister said the steering committees would take coordinated measures against spread of anthrax, which he hoped, would come under full control before Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest festivals of the Muslims when hundreds of thousands of cattle are sacrificed in the country.
Earlier on September 5, the fisheries and livestock minister announced red alert and said the livestock directorate, civil surgeons and relevant offices had been asked to remain vigilant until the situation came under control.
Abdul Latif claimed that there was no shortage of vaccines for cattle to check anthrax infection. ‘It will require 25 lakh vaccines to cover 18 upazilas…We have already sent 19 lakh vaccines to the anthrax affected areas for total vaccination.’
He said that the Bangladesh Rifles had been put on alert to check illegal import of cattle from neighbouring India and ensure medical check-up of the cattle at all corridors.
The minister called upon all concerned not to slaughter sick cows or goats as human beings are infected with anthrax only when they come in contract with the affected cattle, eat their meat or use hides.
The biggest anthrax outbreak in the country in recent times has panicked people, forcing them to stop consuming meat. Farmers and meat traders are incurring huge losses because of the outbreak. Farmers are now worried about sales of cattle on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.
