Livestock fall ill, die after vaccination

Several livestock reportedly fell ill and some suckling animals died in Hanjrai Kalan after animals were vaccinated against haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS), commonly known as gal ghoto, by the Livestock Department. The livestock owners said animals were vaccinated by a livestock department vaccinator in their absence. They claimed that following the vaccination, some suckling animals died while several other cattle and buffaloes developed health problems. The owners said the affected animals had stopped or reduced their feed intake, were becoming increasingly weak and showed a deterioration in their general condition. Some animals also reportedly developed swelling at the sites where injections were administered. The livestock owners said their animals were a major source of income and livelihood and that the deaths and illness had caused them substantial financial losses, with the affected livestock collectively worth millions of rupees. They expressed concern that without timely medical treatment, more animals could fall ill, increasing their losses. They called for veterinary experts to examine the affected animals and determine the actual cause of the deaths and illness before any conclusions were drawn. Livestock Department vaccinator Dr Gohar Abbas, however, said the animals had been administered a vaccine supplied by the government to the Livestock Department. He said the vaccine was being used under the department's preventive programme to protect animals against haemorrhagic septicaemia. The affected livestock owners said the reported deaths and illnesses following vaccination warranted a medical and scientific investigation. According to livestock farmer Muhammad Rafiq, he rears animals alongside his livestock farming. Four of his animals were affected, while a young, milk-feeding calf died. Muhammad Sajid works in the fields and also looks after livestock. He said four of his animals were affected. Meanwhile, Muhammad Iqbal rears livestock for sale and said four of his animals were affected after vaccination. The affected farmers said they had suffered heavy financial losses as livestock worth millions of rupees were affected and a calf died. They called for examination of all relevant aspects, including the vaccine's quality, batch number, manufacturing and expiry details, storage conditions, cold-chain arrangements, vaccination procedure and the current medical condition of the affected animals. They demanded that a team of veterinary experts be immediately dispatched to Hanjrai Kalan to examine and treat the affected livestock. They also called for appropriate medical and investigative procedures to determine the causes of the deaths of the animals that had died. The livestock owners stressed that vaccination was an important measure for protecting animals from disease but said any unusual health problems reported after vaccination should be properly investigated. They called for an impartial inquiry to establish whether the illness and deaths were linked to vaccination or resulted from another medical cause. They said identifying the actual cause would help prevent misinformation and ensure that any negligence, if established, was addressed. The livestock owners further urged the chief minister and senior Livestock Department officials to ensure immediate treatment of the affected animals, determine the causes of the deaths and conduct a transparent review of the vaccination process to provide relief to affected families and prevent similar incidents in future.