Surat, Feb 16: Six horses were euthanised after they were found infected with glanders, a contagious disease, in Gujarat's Surat city, an official said on Thursday.

The city's Lal Darwaza locality, from where the cases were reported, as been notified as an affected area and measures are being taken to contain the disease's spread.

Blood samples of eight horses were taken and sent to an authorised testing laboratory after they developed symptoms of the infection and were not showing any sign of recovery, said the official.

Of these, samples of half a dozen horses tested positive for the glanders disease, said an official release.

All the six infected horses were euthanised on Tuesday and the Lal Darwaza area was sanitised, it said.

A notification has been issued to restrict the movement of donkeys, mules and horses in a periphery of 5km from the epicentre of the disease for a month, said the release.

The horses were put to sleep under the provisions of the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animal Act, 2009, it said.

"As a precautionary measure, the taluka veterinary officer has declared Lal Darwaza as an affected area and restrictions have been put on the movement of donkeys, horses and mules," said the release.

While human beings can also contract glanders, the infectious disease primarily affects horses and also donkeys, mules, goats, dogs, and cats.

The disease is commonly contracted by consuming food or water contaminated by the nasal discharge of the carrier animals. It is characterized by purulent nasal discharge, nasal mucosal ulceration, lung lesions, and ulcerating nodules.

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Colombo (PTI): Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday was declared winner of the Sri Lankan presidential election by the country's Election Commission after an unprecedented second round of counting of votes.

Dissanayake, 56, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party's broader front National People’s Power (NPP), defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

Incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe was eliminated in the first round after he failed to become within the top two in the vote list.

NPP said Dissanayake will take oath on Monday.

Earlier, the Election Commission ordered a second round of counting after no candidate secured over 50 per cent votes needed to be declared the winner of Saturday's election.

Dissanayake will be the country's 9th president.

No election in Sri Lanka has ever progressed to the second round of counting, as single candidates have always emerged as clear winners based on first-preference votes.