Around 24 crore cattle, buffaloes covered under foot & mouth disease vaccination drive

“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 states); reaching a near universal coverage of over 95% which is well beyond the herd immunity level,» the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying said in a statement.

The milestone has been achieved because of the relentless efforts of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), state/ UT governments administration, and support of the livestock owners, it added.

The program is 100% funded by government which is centrally procuring vaccines against FMD and supplying to states and is also providing for vaccination charges, accessories, awareness creation, cold chain infrastructure etc. to enable the States/ UTs to undertake vaccination in campaign mode.

The livestock owners are sensitized and made aware through various information, education and communication measures to get their animals vaccinated and requested to contact the nearest livestock health workers/ veterinarians to avail the facility.

The department is also collaborating with Ministry of Rural Development to train more animal health workers/paravets.

“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/ keepers and in boosting India’s trade in livestock products,» the statement said.

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a major disease of livestock in India and causes huge economic loss to cattle 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 Livestock Health & Disease Control Programme.

The program 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 program vaccination is carried out in all cattle and buffaloes.