Goatherd in karnataka tests positive for Covid-19, 47 goats quarantined

Karnataka: Forty-seven goats were quarantined on Tuesday after goatherd tested positive for coronavirus in Godekere village in Tumakuru district, about 127km from Bengaluru.

Sources said the village in Chikkanayakanahalli taluk has around 300 houses and a population of 1,000. Two villagers including the goatherd tested positive recently. Also four goats of a goat-rearer died causing alarm in the village.

District health and veterinary officials visited the village on Tuesday and collected swab samples of the goats, they convinced villagers that there is risk for livestock getting infected with coronavirus and have to be tested.

P Manivannan, secretary of animal husbandry department, said that they will conduct postmortem on dead goats. The swab samples were sent to Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals in Bengaluru.

Dr SM Byregowda, director of IAHVB, said there is no record yet of Covid-19 spreading from humans to animals.

“Anyhow, we are sending the samples to Bhopal for Covid tests as the kits are not available with us.” Dr BL Chidananda, professor at UAS, GKVK said zoonotic viruses, such as novel coronavirus, generally spread from animals to humans. Agency reports quoted veterinary experts as saying the animals are suffering from Peste des petits ruminants, and mycoplasma infection, which require quarantine.