Agriculture Victoria veterinarians and animal health staff have been responding to a positive case of anthrax on a property near Swan Hill where a number of sheep have died suddenly.
A department spokesperson said as of Monday night, only one sheep had been confirmed to have died due to anthrax.
The cause of death in ‘the number’ of sheep that has died on the property has not been confirmed.
As of Monday night, 1125 sheep have been vaccinated on the property and stock on adjacent farms will be vaccinated over the next few days.
Anthrax is caused by a naturally occurring bacteria that is known to occur in the soil in parts of Northern Victoria. It can remain dormant in the soil for decades. It is spread by the release of spores from the carcass of an animal that has died from the disease and the subsequent ingestion of these spores by other animals.
It is not unusual for incidents of anthrax to be detected in cattle and sheep in the Northern Victoria.
The spokesperson said that anthrax does not spread rapidly and is not contagious and any sudden deaths of livestock on surrounding properties will be tested in line with standing procedures.
Incidents commonly occur during the warmer months when it's drier and the cattle and sheep forage deeper into the soil when eating grass.
Local farmers, veterinarians and Agriculture Victoria are well prepared to handle these incidents. This includes strict quarantine and biosecurity arrangements, the vaccination of potentially exposed stock and the destruction of the affected animals.
In a statement from the Chief Veterinary Officer and Chief Health Officer, they highlighted anthrax is not a concern for the public and it does not spread rapidly and is not contagious.
“The risk is confined to people who handle dead livestock such as farmers, veterinarians and knackery workers. As a precaution, people from the affected farm are being offered testing,” the statement read.
There is no impact on local produce or food safety.
The property has been quarantined and there is no further movement restrictions on people or vehicles (including school bus routes).
Farmers are urged to report any cases of unexplained deaths to the 24-hour Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888, to your local vet or to Agriculture Victoria animal health staff.
Cattle and sheep with anthrax die suddenly. Just prior to death, animals may show signs of high fever. Blood may be present around the nose, mouth and anus of carcasses. However, in many cases you may not see these signs, so it should not be relied upon to diagnose anthrax. If livestock die suddenly, even when there is no history of anthrax on the property, anthrax could potentially be the cause.
Irrespective of where they are located in Victoria, livestock owners are encouraged to report unexplained, sudden deaths of livestock to Agriculture Victoria or their veterinarian.
The last diagnosed case of anthrax in Victoria was in a dairy cow in February 2015 in the Goulburn Valley and the last case in the Mallee was a single cow on a premises near Swan Hill in 2002.
