KARAK: The livestock department has started fumigating the weekly cattle markets and educating the farmers on how to control Congo virus which is transferable from animals to humans.

Talking to mediapersons here on Friday, Karak Tehsil Nazim Haji Abdul Wahab said the virus had spread in Surdag area, where a mobile team of livestock department had distributed free medicines among the farmers.

Dr Naeem Shah, incharge of the mobile team, said Anthrax Spore vaccine had been administered to animals against the Congo virus. He said eight field days had been held in Ahmadabad weekly fair, Machaki, Gurguri, Takht Nusrati and now in Surdag to inform the people about the different diseases of animals.

The livestock officer asked the farmers to protect their cattle from enterotoxaemia and black water diseases as these were common in the current season. He warned that if these diseases were not timely treated then the affected animals could not survive for more than 24 hours.

Dr Shah said foot and mouth disease existed throughout the year and asked the farmers to contact the livestock officials on time to send the tests of animals to Peshawar for their early treatment.

He added that there was no laboratory of animals at the district level which delayed treatment of the deceased cattle.

The district officer livestock said they were making artificial insemination to produce local cross-breed offspring to help the farmers increase their milk production. He added that the department was also creating awareness among farmers to keep animals on commercial basis to not only increase their incomes but also boost meat and milk production.