Cow deaths alarm village in Leon
A detailed study is being conducted by authorities on the deaths of several farm cattle in Tacuyong Norte village in Leon, Iloilo.
The Municipal Agriculturist’s Office of Leon has recorded 12 deaths among cows, with Tacuyong Norte having the most fatalities, six.
But villagers claimed the deaths already reached 10 as of late last week.
The deaths among cattle in Leon was first recorded last May 10, followed by another the following month.
Farmer Rosalia Cabangisan also reported that her farm cows died on July 10 and 11.
“Earlier in the day, the animals were still okay but in the afternoon, they died,” she told GMA TV -6.
Cabangisan was one of the five farmers affected by the cattle deaths in in their village.
Because of the incidents, some farmers were forced to sell their livestock at a lower price of P10,000 per head from the usual price of P16,000.
Neighboring villages like Barangabang, Marirong, Banagan and Gines also reported cow deaths.
Jean Cabingan, livestock inspector of MAO-Leon, said the cow deaths are already an outbreak because a number of animals have already died.
Cases of cattle deaths in Leon this year are higher than the incidents in the last five years, MAO records show.
The Iloilo Provincial Veterinary Office already deployed personnel in the area to conduct immunization.
But Cabingan noted that of the 12 recorded deaths, six were immunized against acute hemorrhagic septicemia, or commonly known as lansang-lansang, the suspected cause of the cattle deaths.
An online report said that hemorrhagic septicemia is an acute pasteurellosis, which occurs notably in cattle and water buffalo, and to lesser degrees in other ruminants as well as other animals. It is caused by Pasteurella multocida bacteria, and can be rapidly fatal.
It is characterized by a sudden onset of high fever, dyspnea, salivation, hot painful subcutaneous swellings and submucosal petechiae and death in about 24 hours.
Hemorrhagic septicemia is a major disease of cattle and water buffalo in Asia, Africa, and some countries of southern Europe and the Middle East. Although it may be seen at any time of year, the worst epidemics occur during the rainy season. It is most common in the river valleys and deltas of southeast Asia among buffaloes used in rice cultivation. JPR
