During the second round of the Foot and Mouth Disease vaccination drive, around 24 crore cattle and buffaloes in the country have now been covered out of a targeted population of 25.8 crore cattle (as per data furnished by the states); reaching a near-universal coverage of over 95 per cent which is well beyond the herd immunity level. Reaching this milestone has been made possible due to the efforts of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Government of India, states and union territories, and most importantly the support of the livestock owners, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying said on Friday.
The programme is 100 per cent funded by the Government of India which is centrally procuring vaccines against FMD and supplying them to the states and is also providing for vaccination charges, accessories, awareness creation, and cold chain infrastructure among other related supports to enable the states and UTs to undertake vaccination in campaign mode. The livestock owners are sensitised and made aware through various information, education and communication measures to get their animals vaccinated and requested to contact the nearest livestock health workers and veterinarians to avail of the facility. DAHD is also collaborating with Ministry of Rural Development to train more animal health workers and paravets, the ministry further said.
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It is expected that with such continued efforts, the goal of controlling and eventually eradicating Foot & Mouth Disease from the country will be achieved which will also help in increasing the income of livestock farmers and keepers and in boosting India’s trade in livestock products.
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a major disease of livestock especially in cattle and buffaloes in India and causes huge economic loss to livestock owners due to a reduction in milk yield. To address the problem, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) launched the National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) in 2019 which is now a part of the Livestock Health & Disease Control Programme. The programme aims to control Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) through vaccination leading to its eventual eradication by 2030. This will result in increased domestic production and ultimately in increased exports of livestock products. Currently, under this programme, vaccination is carried out in all cattle and buffaloes.
