Studies on Rabies in Punjab

 A study in Punjab India, showed that the proportion of confirmed rabid dog cases was consistent throughout the study period (2004-2014).

It is likely that rabies is maintained in dogs in an urban transmission cycle. Reports of dog- bites demonstrated increased incidence in humans over the years. Another study in 2016-'17 showed that the annual incidence of rabies in dogs in Punjab would be in the region of 190 cases. The incidence in pet dogs would be double that of stray dogs. But Stray dogs are responsible for most of the human bite cases in India (60 %).

Of rabid animals in which the biting history was known, there was no significant difference between the proportion of dogs that had a history of biting behaviour and those that had not. 

It is accepted that vaccination of dogs for canine rabies needs to consistently achieve high coverage to reduce incidence and potentially eliminate rabies in dogs. However, this is difficult to achieve even in well- resourced environments.

Some municipalities in Punjab try to control stray dog populations through Animal Birth Control- Anti- Rabies programmes but are unsuccessful due to insufficient resources. 

There are increased cases of rabies in dogs in Punjab in March and August. It is not known if this is due to an increased seasonal breeding. Regardless of the reason —either increased exposure of the general public to dogs, or increased incidence in dogs—rabies elimination campaigns in the Punjab can gain more efficient resource allocation by targeting dog vaccination prior to March and August and rabies- awareness messaging during March and August.

Surveillance for rabies in animals in Punjab relies solely on passive data collection. There is no coordinated approach to surveillance such as a state sponsored testing scheme.

Factors such as poor dog population management and low standards of dog care (including infrequent veterinary consultation) are considered responsible for high endemicity of canine rabies in India. 

Some of the rabies-infected domestic and pet animals in the study (16%) had received rabies vaccination previously, but the recommended annual vaccination schedules were not subsequently followed. In 56% of the rabies cases, the animal owner noticed a bite wound on the animal’s body but only 31 % of the owners requested veterinary treatment or vaccination of the animal. All of these animals died before completing the course of post-exposure rabies prophylaxis vaccination.

Of the 16 rabid dogs reported in 2016-'17 in 4 sub-districts of Punjab, all had developed rabies after being bitten by other rabid dogs. A total of 20 humans were exposed to rabid cases sufficiently for potential rabies virus transmission. All of them received post-exposure prophylaxis, and were alive at the time of completion of the study.

But in an earlier study decades ago, 177 cases of clinically diagnosed rabies were reported from hospitals in Amritsar city over 6.5 years. 87 % of the patients had been bitten without any provocation.

All the patients died with varied symptomatology: hydrophobia, aerophobia and restlessness was observed in 100% of cases. Almost all the patients applied red chillies; only 18% had antiseptic dressing. 87 % of the deceased had not taken anti-rabid vaccine treatment.

A total of 18 cases, who also died, were given post-exposure treatment with anti-rabic vaccine but only 12 received 11 or more injections. They started the treatment from 1-35 days after exposure. 

Update on Locust Invasion end May-Beginning June 2020

• Last reported locations of Locust swarms in India
• Threat from Locusts to three Districts in Punjab
• These are immature locusts which pose a greater threat
• The threat from locusts is to wildlife also
• Efforts by Rajasthan against Locusts
• Natural control methods adviced by University in Maharashtra
• Why Helicopters have not been pressed into service against locusts
• Helicopter Sprayers will start arriving from Britain around mid-June

Outlook : Last reported locations of Locust swarms in India are in MP/Maharashtra : Locusts crossed into Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh from eastern Maharashtra on Thursday afternoon, a senior agriculture department official had said.
Earlier on Thursday, officials had said the swarms were moving eastwards, towards Gondia district of Maharashtra after entering Bhandara from Nagpur district on Wednesday.

Tribune : Threat from Locusts to three Districts in Punjab : Sources in the Agriculture Department said the primary threat was to areas of Fazilka, Muktsar and Bathinda districts, which are located close to Rajasthan. “At present, the locust swarms which entered India from Pakistan have caused losses in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Like Punjab, the governments of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are also on alert,” an official said.

The Hindu : These are immature locusts which pose a greater threat : Last year, mature locusts had entered parts of India after a gap of 26 years. But the locusts that have come in this year are immature. Immature locusts are not fully grown and have the capacity to cause more harm. They also have a longer lifespan. The locusts which entered India were about 10-12 days old and were flying huge distances in search of food. Since the Rabi crop harvesting is over and the Kharif sowing season is yet to begin, they were unable to find any vegetation.

Mongabay : The threat from locusts is to wildlife also : In terms of the environmental implications, locusts impact native grazing species that rely upon grasslands and croplands for survival. Swarms consume everything in their path, leaving behind ruined cropland and barren pastures. While they are not known to impact forests or natural tree cover, their voracious consumption of most species of crop creates food scarcity for native fauna and other insects.

CNN : Efforts by Rajasthan against Locusts : State officials are using 100 tractor-mounted sprayers and 20 fire engines across 11 districts to spray water and pesticides. Drones provided by the central government were also used to spray pesticides in two districts in Rajasthan, according to an official of the State Agriculture Department. He added that about 70% of the locusts there had been destroyed. While locust invasions can be devastating for communities because they pose a threat to food security, India has so far appeared to have escaped from the worst as farmers have not yet begun to sow the new season's crops. "The locusts were sitting on barren land. The winter crops have been cut and it hasn't rained yet so the new season's crops have not been sown. Those who planted fodder crops or vegetables could chase the locusts away. This time, there wasn't much loss," said the official. Outlook : Natural control methods adviced by University in Maharashtra : The Vasantrao Naik Agriculture University at Parbhani in Marathwada said threat from swarms of locusts destroying crops and travelling long distances in search of food can be tackled by undertaking certain measures. Destroying their eggs, digging trenches of a specific size and spraying neem oil on standing crops are some of the effective methods to tackle the menace caused by locusts, it said in a statement. The department of agricultural entomology of the university published a set of guidelines on Thursday for farmers in this regard. "Female locusts lay 50 to 100 eggs in moist sandy land. The hatching period of these eggs depends on environment and may stretch from two to four weeks. Larvae cannot fly immediately when they come out," the varsity said. The university suggested destroying those eggs in groups. Farmers can dig trenches in a size of 60 centimeters wide and 75 centimeters deep which can help to catch small locusts from the flock, it said. "If a swarm of locusts is in one square km area, their weight can be up to 3,000 quintals. Their flocks can be neutralised during night time (which is their resting time) with the help of smoke. "But farmers need to be very careful and ensure their crops do not catch fire," the university said. Spraying 2.5 litres of neem oil per hectare has also proved effective in controlling swarms of locusts, it said.

Outlook : Why Helicopters have not been pressed into service against locusts : None of the six states, affected by locust attack, have pressed into service any helicopter for the aerial spray of chemicals despite a large number of crops continuously being destroyed. Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are in the grip of large swarms of locust attack and alerts have been released for far more severe attacks in days to come. Despite that, locust control authorities are using either sprayer mounted on a vehicle or a drone for an aerial sprinkling. Experts say that both the measures have their own limitations and a helicopter is the most deadly weapon against the locusts. “There is no dearth of helicopters in the country but we don’t have Ultra Light Vehicle (ULV) spraying kit which is specially made and fitted on both sides of a helicopter,” KL Gujjar, deputy director, Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS), said. “The Ministry of Agriculture has identified five helicopters for this purpose but in the absence of ULV kit, they are of no use as of now,” Gujjar said. He further said, “There is only one UP-based company in the country which manufactures ULV spraying kit for helicopters but due to the lockdown they couldn’t manage spare parts to manufacture it. The company can deliver only in September.” Sources say that the government is trying to import kits for helicopters but it hasn’t materialised yet. So, as of now, sprayer-mounted vehicle and drone are the only options. “Even with full pressure, a sprayer-mounted vehicle cannot take the chemical for more than 15 feet high in the air. The locusts fly higher and rest on top of the tall trees of up to 30 feet of height,” GK Bunker, Assistant Director, Locust Circle Office, Bikaner, said. Bunker added, “We take the help from fire tenders but that’s not feasible every time and at all places.” Field officials also find drone an inefficient tool to fight against large swarms of locust. “A drone can take 5 to 10 litre of chemicals at one go and it can fly for only 15 to 20 minutes. It needs to be recharged after that. Where you need thousands of litres of chemicals to be sprayed to control a huge population, what can a couple of drones do,” Kamal Katiyar, deputy director, agriculture, Jhansi district, said. Katiyar adds that locusts rest at night on trees and bushes and that’s the right time to spray chemicals on them. “We start spraying from 12 in the night and continue until the early hours. But often due to varying physical features of an area, it is difficult to reach places where they rest. So, a helicopter is the most potent weapon against the locusts,” Katiyar said. Reuters : Helicopter Sprayers will start arriving from Britain around mid-June : Despite large-scale incursions by the insects, the Indian government and farm experts do not foresee major crop damage for the moment as the pests have arrived during the gap between the previous harvest and the next planting season. But experts warn that federal and state governments need to kill the pests quickly over the next few weeks to ensure they don't breed again and then devour summer crops. If the insects continue to multiply, India could see extensive losses in June and July when monsoon rains spur sowing of rice, sugarcane, corn, cotton and soybean crops, they said. The government said it was arranging drones to drop pesticides on trees and in inaccessible places to kill the insects. It also plans to use helicopters for aerial spraying. Up to 15 sprayers will start arriving from Britain over the next two weeks and 45 more in one-and-a-half months, it said. Farm experts said that while loud noises can briefly get rid of the pests, they do not amount to a sustainable plan and can make it more difficult for authorities to target and contain the pests. "It's not killing any locusts, it's just shifting the problem to the neighbours," said FAO's Cressman. He said chemical pesticides were the cheapest and most effective solution to tackle such large numbers of the insects. Farmers can also dig trenches around their fields, in an effort to trap and bury newborn hoppers that try to march in and eat their crops, he said. But he said controlling locusts is not a job for individual farmers but for well-trained government agencies equipped with technical know-how and the correct sprayers and safety gear.

Please Wake up to Water Scarcity..

Nearly 600 million Indians (around 40 % of India's population) face high-to-extreme water stress, a June 2018 report has said.

Rapid groundwater depletion is coupled with decline in average rainfall and increasing dry monsoon days. In the winter cropping, or rabi season, average rainfall has declined, from ~150 mm in 1970 to about 100 mm in 2015.

With nearly 70% of water contaminated, India ranks 120th of 122 countries in a global water quality index.

A water management index by the Niti Aayog evaluated states on nine broad sectors and 28 indicators, including groundwater, irrigation, farm practices and drinking water. 

In 2015-16, 14 of the 24 states analysed, scored below 50% on water management and have been classified as “low performers”. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan, have all been classified as low performers.

Several water-stressed states are only 'medium preformers' - Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telengana, Punjab.

An effervescent painter..

Amrita Sher-Gill, died in the 1930s.. still a young woman, daughter of an Indian Sikh father and Hungarian mother. She is one of India's foremost painters, her paintings having been donated to the Indian govt. after her death by her European husband. Both of them were in Lahore when she passed away suddenly.

A family in a Punjab village, painted by Amrita..

Amrita travelled to the South of India to paint these images inspired by the Ajanta murals. This one is called 'The Bride's Toilet'.

The painting on 'Brahmacharis' is also part of the Southern journey by Amrita.

When my husband and I travelled to his tiny village called Vishnampet in Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu in 2009, we found a very similar group sitting under a tree at the entrance to the village !

This Hungarian Gypsy Girl was painted by Amrita in Europe.

This painting called 'The portrait of a young man' was presumably done in Europe.

Amrita's husband was a Dr., who continued to serve in Indian villages in Punjab after her death (her father's elder brother and cousins lived in Punjab and they called her heartbroken husband to live near them).