A horse in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district has been euthanized after being diagnosed with Glanders, a potentially fatal infectious bacterial disease mainly affecting horses that can also infect humans.
A team of veterinary doctors from animal husbandry department carried out the exercise as per the Glanders and Farcy Act, 1899, on the outskirts of Bareilly in presence of the horse owner, Kishan Babu, on Wednesday. The law allows the state to euthanize a horse if diagnosed with Glanders. Officials said Babu’s horse was one of the two in Bareilly district diagnosed with the disease. The other horse would be euthanized after the wedding of the daughter of its owner, Anokhelal.
Officials said the horses were diagnosed with Glanders disease during a routine checkup. “...the situation is worrisome since there is no cure to the disease, and above all, it is a zoonotic [infectious] disease. Though there are some antibiotics available to treat the disease.... Hence, elimination was carried out as per the Glanders and Farcy Act, 1899,” said Bareilly chief veterinary officer, Lalit Kumar Verma.