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Close watch as anthrax hits Vic dairy farm
27 Aug 2003
A dairy farm near Tatura in Victoria is under quarantine again after a cow died there from anthrax last week. The same farm was under similar quarantine restrictions in January 2003 after a single case of anthrax was diagnosed. Authorities have vaccinated the rest of the herd and incinerated the carcass.
The Department of Primary Industries said the vaccine is effective for about a year, but is usually given every six months when a new case is reported. The animal in question was introduced to the farm and hadn't been vaccinated quickly enough.
The herd of 200 Friesian and Friesian-cross cows and heifers will be closely monitored and will not leave the property during the six-week quarantine period. They will continue to be milked, but can't be slaughtered for meat for human consumption until the 42-day withholding period for the vaccine has passed.
DPI said it is impossible to eradicate anthrax, but there is a program to help Goulburn Valley farmers manage the disease, so it can be prevented or limited to isolated cases. The measures were put in place after a 1997 anthrax outbreak near Tatura which affected 84 properties, killing more than 200 cattle, four sheep and a horse.
The latest incident poses no threat to public health or food safety involving milk or dairy products. Anthrax is not contagious; animals are infected by ingesting spores in disturbed soil. The only symptoms are nasal and rectal bleeding, then sudden death within seven to 10 days of infection.
Weekly Times, 27/8/03, page 4.
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