Although the government directed livestock department officials to remain on highest alert to prevent spread of anthrax, the efforts seem to be dogged down by a lack of proper coordination among different relevant agencies, and an acute shortage of veterinary inspectors.
According to doctors, anthrax is caused by a spore forming bacterium called Bacillus anthracis. It commonly infects plant-eating mammals which ingest or inhale the spores while grazing. Humans can become infected with gastrointestinal anthrax by eating undercooked meat from infected animals.
Inspection of cattle prior to slaughter is an important way of preventing spread of the disease among humans. But most of the red meat available on the country's markets come from cattle slaughtered at kitchen markets without inspection.
The entire process of authorising slaughter
of animals for consumption lies with either city corporations or municipalities — not with the livestock department, said officials of the Department ofLivestock Services (DLS).
"We are not authorised to inspect cattle for slaughter," said an official of the department on condition of anonymity.
"Officially every municipality or city corporation must assign a veterinary inspector and a sanitary inspector for certifying each cattle before slaughter," he added.
"We are solely responsible for treatment of animals brought to veterinary hospitals, and to create mass awareness about animal diseases including the ones that can be transmitted to humans," said Dr Saiful Islam, district livestock officer in Sirajganj. "We don't monitor slaughterhouses, " he added.
And officials of city corporations and municipalities are saying they are not adequately staffed and equipped to inspect all cattle before slaughter.
Veterinary Officer of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) Dr Azmat Ali toldThe Daily Star on Monday,
"We have only two veterinary inspectors for five DCC-run slaughterhouses." Moreover, the equipment there are antiquated, he added.
He said more than 700 cows, 250 buffaloes, and 5,000 goats are slaughtered everyday in the city for consumption. Thirty percent of those are slaughtered in DCC-run slaughterhouses while the remaining 70 percent are slaughtered mosdy at butcher shops of kitchen markets.
Most of the catde in DCC slaughterhouses cannot be checked, Azmat said. And what happens in other places is anyone's guess.
Secretary of Pabna Municipality Saidur Rahman said it is not possible for them to check all catde to be slaughtered across the district, due to inadequate manpower, and a lack of cooperation from catde traders and butchers.
Although the district administration — after a meeting with officials of the district health department, district livestock department and the municipality on Monday — asked all butchers not to slaughter cattle without approval from government appointed veterinarians, the authorities actually do not have enough inspectors to appoint, he said.
Moreover, the government appointed inspectors can only check for visible symptoms of diseases, no diagnostic test is possible due to lack of proper equipment and inadequate manpower, he added.
Sirajganj District Livestock Officer Dr Shafiqul Islam said they in collaboration with the district administration selected a slaughterhouse in the district headquarters where cattle are examined before slaughter. But in other places cattle are slaughtered without inspection.
Kushtia Municipality Mayor Anwar Ali said he appointed a veterinarian to inspect cattle before slaughter. But the veterinarian cannot check all such cattle in the district. He can only check the ones that are to be slaughtered at a certain place and time.
"Although we have been requesting the authorities over a long period to increase manpower, to make the slaughterhouses bigger, and to procure modern equipment, they do not pay heed to us," said Azmat ofDCC.
The government however is hoping to start construction of six modern slaughterhouses in the six city corporations by the end of this year with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank, said Shawpan Kumar Shil, a research assistant at the bank.
DCC will also get a modern slaughterhouse at Gabtoli with the capacity of slaughtering 5,000 cattle a day, he added.
A joint secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock said on condition of anonymity, "We have drafted a new act for cattle slaughtering, to end the confusion about