Fifth round of foot-and-mouth disease vaccination for cattle begins in Virudhunagar district

The 5th round of vaccination of cows and buffaloes against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which began on Monday, June 10, 2024, will cover 1.79 lakh cattle in Virudhunagar district.

The 5th round of vaccination of cows and buffaloes against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which began on Monday, June 10, 2024, will cover 1.79 lakh cattle in Virudhunagar district.

Cows, bulls and calves aged above four months will be vaccinated at the camps covering all the villages in the district.

Virudhunagar Collector, V.P. Jeyaseelan inaugurated the vaccination drive under National Animal Disease Control Programme at Sivagnapuram.

The Collector said the vaccination drive will be held in the district until July 10.

The viral disease, causes wounds to the feet and mouth of cattle, leads to cattle developing fever and not consuming fodder. Though the infected animal may not die, its milk production (among milch animals) and productivity (among oxen) would be affected. This could affect the income of cattle farmers, officials said.

The Collector said the disease was contagious, and the infection could spread through the air from one animal to another on a farm.

Regional Joint Director of Animal Husbandary, Theophilus Roger, Virudhunagar Divisional Assistant Directors, Venkatesan, Vairasamy, Kaleeswaran were among those who present during the vaccination drive.