Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 17, Number 25, DeMotte, Jasper County, 16 May 1947 — STATE GIRDS FOR BATTLE ON BANG’S [ARTICLE]

STATE GIRDS FOR BATTLE ON BANG’S

Indiana Has 5 LongRange Plan to Combat Uftdulant Fever and Cattle Infection Indianapolis, May 16 -f~ Indiana ib ready to launch a long-range control program that would virtually eliminate Bang’s disease in Hoosier cattle and halt undulant fever, its counterpart in humans. The disease control program that calls for the testing and slaughter of infected cattle in the state was provided for in a law ppss'led by the 1947 General Assembly. Dr. G. E. Botkin, Indiana state veterinarian, said the new program would probably take some 20 years to eliminate Bang’s disease throughout Indiana. Dr. Botkin said the disease was on an upgrade in Indiana and that more than 100,000 head or 10 per cent of the state’s cattle were infected. Cases of undulant fever, transmitted to humans by Bang’s infected cattle, also were reported on the increase by the state health department and were said to have multiplied nearly nine times in the last 10 ybars. Dr. T. B. Rice, professor of bacteriology and pubic health at the Indiana university Medical school said “in a few years undulant feyjer will be regarded as the most important disease in Indiana. Dr. J. W. Jackson, director of tiie division of communicable diseases of the state health department, said he believed more persons were infected with undulant fever than the reports indicated. “People just haven’t gotten into the habit of reporting undulant fever as they do other diseases,” Dr. Jackson said, ‘diagnosis of the diseases also is tricky and it may exist fpr many years before pctually indentifed.” Dr. Jackson said generally the diseas was little known among city residents who drink pasturized milk. Basically, the fever is transmitted through the milk of Bang’s infected cows -br goats or through the meat of swine. There no goat herds in Indiana. Dr. George L. Clark, Columbia City, president of the Indiana Veterinary Medical association, said his organization was briefing its entire membership on the new control program "so that the scourge will eventually be driven from this state.”