TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Following the deaths of buffaloes that occured in Barangay Calassitan, Santo Niño, Cagayan due to anthrax, the City Veterinary Services Office (CVSO) maintains its animal quarantine checkpoint in Barangay Lanna and Sitio Spring amid threat of anthrax.
City Veterinarian Dr. Carmen Wanas said the animal quarantine checkpoint is in place 24/7 to ensure that no ruminants from Santo Niño, Cagayan will enter the city.
Wanas said that the monitoring operations of the office, in coordination with the Tabuk City Police Station and Public Order Safety Office started last January 14.
Wanas noted that the established animal quarantine checkpoint is useful to monitor the movement of livestock and other large animals into the city with the occurrence of dangerous communicable animal diseases that constantly poses an imminent threat to the growth and development of the city’s livestock and poultry industry, as well as facilitate transborder movement of animals and animal-based food products.
Wanas appeals to the public, particularly individuals raising animals to report to CVSO for signs and symptoms of anthrax and other animal diseases.
With the reported cases of anthrax in Cagayan, the provincial government through Governor James Edduba has issued a temporary ban on the entry of all large animals in the city, either for selling or slaughtering.
Anthrax is a rare but serious illness caused by a spore-forming bacterium, Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax mainly affects livestock and wild game. Humans can become infected through direct or indirect contact with sick animals.