The milk you’re drinking could be compromised. A survey by scientists at the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) reveals that one in every ten cows owned
by dairy farmers shows signs of mastitis, a disease that will certainly affect the yield of milk over the years. 60 percent of the milk samples tested by the scientists showed
signs of clinical mastitis. This is not a small problem by the looks of it, and it will only get worse. The disease is caused by bacteria known as Staphylococcus Aureus and causes inflammation of the parenchyma of the mammary glands. Simply put, this affects the ducts of lactating mammaries. The udders swell up and get quite painful for the cow. Blood and clotting
occurs which can also leave traces in the milk.
Milk is a popular product, consumed by almost everyone in
Goa. While this will start affecting cattle, and should be treated,
it’s yet unknown whether that disease can manifest itself
into something that will affect human life. For this reason
there is a dire need to start research on this disease and work
on ways to cure it and perhaps even prevent some strain of it
from cropping up in the future.
