Mysterious disease kills over 200 sheep in Tirunelveli

‘We continue to lose them even after the vaccination’

Outbreak of a mysterious disease has killed over 200 sheep in the district even as the shepherds are facing huge loss due to this rapidly spreading disease with more number of sheep are battling the illness reportedly caused by suspected viral infection. Since the dropping of goat and sheep is excellent manure, the shepherds would have the sheep pens in the farms and the fields ahead of every paddy season in the district. When farmers rearing goat and sheep in Marudhakulam, Moolaikkaraipatti, Munanjipatti, Paruththipaadu, Rengasamudhram and other adjoining areas are taking their flock, each having 150 to 1,000 animals, around Tirunelveli and create pens in the fields, a mysterious disease has started ravaging the sheep over the past 25 days. After sudden swelling in the eyes of the animals, the infected sheep suffer frothing in the mouth. And, the affected animals die within a couple of days even as the infection is spreading rapidly in the flock.