ISSN: 2639-216X
Authors: Sumara Baig
Background: Anthrax is primarily a disease of herbivores. It is a highly fatal zoonotic bacterial disease found in endemic pockets. It is less common in human beings than in animals. In humans, Bacillus anthracis is recognized as a highly potential biological weapon agent. It can be transmitted in human beings through close proximity to infected livestock and their products, like skin, meat, hides, and bones. Methods: Anthrax is prevalent in some parts of Gilgit-Baltistan. Most of the outbreaks have been reported in the post-monsoon season, i.e., from July to September and November to January. The surveillance system of the Department of Livestock, Gilgit-Baltistan, was evaluated during February 2018, using the CDC updated guidelines 2001. For that purpose, one-to-one interviews and group discussions with concerned stakeholders were carried out. The passive data from different veterinary health units were also collected and evaluated accordingly. Results: The results revealed that the surveillance system was very simple, useful, flexible, and accommodating, but the timeliness was poor, and the sensitivity to pick the real cases was poor. Hospital/ dispensary cases were not a true representation of the whole livestock population, as most of the livestock in Gilgit-Baltistan remained in pastures, and no data were available for them. Conclusion: The system should explicitly include a case definition along with the provision of diagnostic kits to all veterinary laboratories in Gilgit-Baltistan to make the system more representative and sensitive.
Keywords: Anthrax; Evaluation; Surveillance System; Gilgit-Baltistan