Cuttack, Feb. 11: Lack of strict quarantine against anthrax virus is apparently taking a toll on human lives in Orissa.

At least five persons are feared to have died due to direct infection by the virus at Semiliguda block in Koraput district in the past 24 days.

Experts say anthrax spores remain alive for 60 years in the absence of strict quarantine measures in the soil where blood from infected cattle falls.

Quarantine measures should include treatment of the soil with sodium hydroxide (5 to 10 per cent strength) at the rate of 8litre-per-sq-m where blood from the anthrax-infected animal falls or where the carcass is found.

Orissa animal husbandry and veterinary services department, however, has evidently restricted itself to periodic vaccination of livestock population. “A proposal to adopt strict quarantine measures has been submitted with the state health mission. But, vaccination has been an ongoing programme in the anthrax-endemic areas,” said animal husbandry and veterinary services director Bishnupada Sethi.

Meanwhile, the Union ministry has deputed a team from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) to Orissa to probe into the recent Anthrax deaths.

Since 1994, anthrax has occurred almost every year in Orissa and resulted in recurring cattle casualty.

The Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI), at Phulnakhara, 10km from here, had identified 18 of the 30 districts in the state as “endemic” to anthrax. Over 200 cattle and over 28 people lost their lives to anthrax between 1994 and 2007. The human casualty was caused often due to the consumption of infected beef.

“The trend has been different this year. In 2008 anthrax has claimed human lives in areas where people do not have a history of preferring beef,” conceded chief district veterinary officer of Koraput S.K. Takri on Sunday.

The five deaths were reported between January 19 and 25 in Lohaba village of Semiliguda block. Takri suspect that the deceased were infected directly while working on the fields.

Animal husbandry department officials said the groundwork for launching an anthrax control programme is underway. Under the programme vaccination needs to be performed up on annual basis for five years in the endemic areas. Besides, this step needs to be followed up by sero-monitoring of the vaccinated livestock for the next five years.

If no positive cases are found during this period, then the state can be declared “provisionally” free from anthrax. According to state projections: Nearly 1.2 crore of the 2.42 livestock population (excluding poultry) in the endemic areas of the state need to be vaccinated.