Veterinary personnel in South Cotabato have expressed alarm over the emergence of a suspected bacterial illness that already caused a number of infected goats in the province to go blind.
Dr. Raul Teves, animal diseases coordinator of the Provincial Veterinary Office, said Friday they monitored at least 42 suspected cases of the “pink eye†disease or infectious keratoconjunctivitis at a goat farm in Sto. Niño town in South Cotabato.
He said they already subjected the infected animals to several tests and sent samples to the Bureau of Animal Industry for further evaluation.
“If the samples will turn out positive, we will be facing this kind of disease here for the first time,†Teves said.
According to veterinary references, pink eye is an infectious and contagious bacterial disease of sheep, goats, and other animals that mostly occur in the summer and in young animals.
The disease, which tends to occur as an outbreak in a flock or herd, is caused by one or a number of different microorganisms and either carried by flies or dust to the eyes of the animal.
Although infected the animals rarely die from pink eye, it may cause temporary blindness that may eventually turn permanent in severe cases.
Based on their initial studies, Teves cited that overcrowding and poor ventilation mainly contributes to the spread of the disease.
“Dry, dusty conditions and irritants such as flies tend to predispose or exacerbate the disease,†he noted.
Teves said they initially dispatched their personnel to monitor the possible emergence of the disease in other goat farms in the province. - PNA
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