By Muhammad Ammar Saleem
Eidul Azha, the Greater Eid, or feast of sacrifice, an important event in Islamic history celebrated every year in the month of Zil-Hajj, is done in order to acknowledge the desire of Ibrahim (AS) to fulfil the challenge of obedience to Allah by sacrificing his son Ismail (AS). Just to acknowledge the devotion of Ibrahim (AS), God ordered to slaughter a lamb rather than sacrifice his son and from that day, Muslims all over the world as a prayer and to refresh the Sunnat-e-Ibrahimi, sacrifice animals to seek God’s acceptance. For that purpose, they used to move in the cattle market just before the event and purchase an animal for that sacred purpose. In doing so they are exposed to a number of zoonotic diseases. (Zoonotic diseases are those which are transferred from animals to humans). The history of zoonotic diseases is 10,000 years old and in the recent period, 75 per cent of infectious diseases are due to zoonosis. Zoonotic diseases have contributed major losses to world economy. The latest infectious diseases which have been spreading for the last 15 years are Hanta, Ebola, avian influenza, West influenza, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, influenza A and bacterial agents such as Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia Pastis which are causing plague and anthrax commonly in human population very rapidly. In less developed countries like Pakistan, the ratio is even more as according to reports, one out of seven livestock animals is infected with various groups of diseases. Annually, 2.7 million human deaths and approximately 2.5 billion cases of human illness are recorded, caused by zoonotic diseases.
To control these diseases, simple and easy methods can be utilised and it needs awareness among the people of less developed countries. There are three type of preventive measure that one must adopt while interacting with animals regularly or occasionally.
Proper personal hygiene depends only on the activity of individual and has nothing to do with other perspectives. For safety, one must wash his hands before and after the handling of the animal. Do not eat or drink in the animal’s vicinity, like in the cattle market. If lesions are seen with naked eyes on the surface of the animal, then you must not touch animals without gloves, otherwise you are touching a diseased animal, not a healthy one. You must be wearing a mask if you are allergic to bedding dust or animal dander or hair. If you are already sick, then there is no need to take the risk of entering the cattle market as you are more inclined to be infected than healthy persons.
If you are a cattle market worker, then wear gloves routinely. In case of any suspicious movement of an animal, immediately inform the physician as it may be a symptom of some disease that you don’t know about.
The government duty or an owner of specified cattle market must maintain the environment of animals’ surroundings by keeping them clean and well organised. There must be a proper ventilation space for animals and workers. Floors must be protected from feed and bedding. Urine and faecal build-up should be prevented on urgent basis in a cattle market.
If problems like immobility, difficulty in breathing, diarrhoea, and depression occur, then these points should not be ignored and must be noted down separately. Progression or history of animal disease are also important points to consider for treatment. Vaccination, tick and flea control, enteric parasites periodic testing are helpful in protecting both the lives of human and animal
Veterinary doctors must be available in the cattle market during the days of Eid when there is a large influx in the market, and the health status of animals should be examined on daily basis. Dead or sick animals should be reported and must be taken away from the market.
If problems like immobility, difficulty in breathing, diarrhoea, and depression occur, then these points should not be ignored and must be noted down separately. Progression or history of animal disease are also important points to consider for treatment. Vaccination, tick and flea control, enteric parasites periodic testing are helpful in protecting both the lives of human and animal.
Consuming meat of affected animals would definitely lead to pathogenicity, so fresh meat for sacrifice should be free of any abnormality. These steps do not cost much to implement, but do act as safeguards. They demand care from the individual to the state level, but would have good results.
The writer is a freelance columnist.
