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WHILE the number of victims in the country who have succumbed to Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever may be small, it would be ill advised for the authorities to take no precautions against the disease. At least 16 people countrywide have died of CCHF — spread by infected ticks that attach themselves to cattle, sheep and goats — in the recent past. It is obvious that with Eidul Azha just two weeks away, and thousands of sacrificial animals heading to or already in the cities and towns, the authorities must remain vigilant to prevent the spread of CCHF. However, as per a report published in this paper on Monday, officials in Karachi seem to be taking it quite easy in this regard. While municipal officials this paper spoke to claimed that all animals arriving at the livestock market on the outskirts of the metropolis were being inspected, traders had another story to tell. For example, one individual claimed that his beasts had not been inspected all the way from Rajanpur, Punjab, till their arrival in Karachi. Others corroborated this claim. It is indeed a difficult task, logistically, to inspect all animals; in Karachi alone, 130,000 or so beasts have arrived so far. Yet there is no other option but vigilance to keep the livestock healthy and people safe.

As experts have recommended, animals should be sprayed with insecticide at least 12 to 15 days before slaughter. Considering this is the time period left before Eid, provincial authorities should waste no time and start spraying all major livestock markets countrywide. Moreover, there should be tighter inspection of movement of livestock across provincial lines. Beasts originating from districts where CCHF cases have been reported — such as southern Punjab and parts of Balochistan — should be checked particularly thoroughly, while there should be a strict ban on makeshift markets. And in future, it would be prudent if provincial authorities ran awareness campaigns about how to keep animals healthy as well as maintaining hygiene standards in the towns and villages where most of our livestock is bred.