Thread: The Animals Are Killing Us

BRUCELLOSIS OUTBREAK: 2,000 goats to be slaughtered
Published on September 07, 2005

Infections in 19 farm workers prompt largest-ever mass-culling in Kanchanaburi. About 2,000 goats will be culled today at the country’s biggest goat farm, in Kanchanaburi province, to prevent the spread of the infectious disease brucellosis, a senior Livestock Development Depart-ment official said yesterday.

Samart Jaralyanon, provincial chief for livestock development, said the culling at Mahboonkrong Dairy Goats Co was ordered yesterday by the department’s director-general. It will be the first time animals are culled in such large numbers, he said.

The transport of all of the farm’s products, such as live goats, dairy products and meat, were also banned under the same order.

Samart said goat dairy products already available on the market were safe to eat, because the bacteria was killed by pasteurisation.

Dr Pakdi Bhotisiri, secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration, confirmed that goat dairy products already on the market were not contaminated.

Samart said more than 700 goats had been killed at the farm since the infectious bacterial disease was first discovered in March.

The farm was declared an epidemic control zone last Thursday. Humans can be infected through direct contact with secretions of infected goats.

Samart said the farm also raised goats for meat, even though it was registered as a dairy farm. He said only goats raised for meat would be culled, because there were no reports of infection among the farm’s 2,500 dairy goats.

The director-general of the Livestock Development Department will inspect the farm today with an adviser to the agriculture minister. The farm’s manager also invited journalists to visit at the same time.

Twelve men and seven women who worked at the farm have so far been infected with the disease.

Dr Surapong Tanthanasri-sakul, head of public health for the province, said a special centre was set up at Phra Piya Hospital to care for those infected. He said the disease could be cured with a six-week regimen of antibiotics.

Dr Thawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said it was not necessary for infected humans to be quarantined, because there were no reports of human-to-human transmission.

A special team of doctors was sent to the farm to find out how the workers had become infected. The disease can lead to spontaneous abortion in goats. In humans, it can affect the reproductive system but is not known to induce spontaneous abortion.

Pennapa Hongthong, Duangkamol Sajirawattakul

The Nation

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