MOST FATAL OF CATTLE DISEASES

Shannon News, 4 December 1923, Page 4

MOST FATAL OF CATTLE DISEASES

Cables from 'Perth this week have notified an outbreak of a mysterious disease among dairy herds near Fremantle and that in 17 days 100 cows have died. Although the disease has not bjeen definitely diagnosed, the evidence suggests that it is rinderpest' and the strictest quarantine has been :• established, while all animals showing symptoms are being destroyed and incinerated. If the disease is rinderpest then the most drastic steps will have, to be taken to prevent, its spread, as it. is the most fatal of all cattle diseases. It is perhaps better known a,s cattle plague. It is highly infectious, affecting cattle, sheep, camels, deer and similar, animals, and the' mortality is from 90 to 95 per cent. It has,been known since the fourth century and its original habitat is believed to be the steppes of South Russia. It has been estimated that during the first half of the eighteenth century 200,000,000 cattle, died in European countries! from rinderpest dr cattle plague. It has only occurred in Western Europe from, time to time 'by infection, through imported, cattle or hides. Hitherto it has not «been known in'Australia or New Zealtnd. It was introduced into England, in 1865 from! Russia by Russian -cattle, but after terrible losses was stamped out. It reappeared in 1866 and again in 1873 and its last invasion, in England was in 1877. For some years rinderpest played havoc among the cattle of South Africa, the last serious outbreak occurring in 1902. The disease is believed to be-caused by a bacterium, but the infective agent has not yet been isolated, although it iS; known to exist in all the secretions •and excretions of the body, and can be conveyed by diseased animals and by intermediary bearers, gaining access to the blood through the respiratory or digestive passages. The poison of rinderpest remains, infective for fou.r or five months, but is not difficult to destroy by disinfectants. The period of incubation is from three- to seven days. The symptoms are high fever, shivering fits, loss of appetite, cessation of rumination and of milk secretion,. diarrhoea, and inflammation of the mucous membranes. The more characteristic symptoms are discharges from the nose 1 , mouth and eyes, difficulty in breathing, <a hard cough and sometimes an eruption of the skin. Thes.e soon! become covered with branlike scales or crusts which are shed and leave red erosions or ulcers. There is great prostration; the animal lies down, continually grinds its teeth, the temperature falls and the animal dies. .'. Diagnosis is most certain- when made after, a post-mortem, examination of an animal which has died or ; been killed, the intensely congested | appearance of the alimentary canal and respiratory passages being characteristic.

Treatment is really useless, and as a matter of fact' is generally forbidden, affected animals being immediately .destroyed in order to stamp out an outbreak, the carcases effectively destroyed and thorough, disinfection practised. Importation from infected countries, of course, should be absolutely prohibited.