Rajasthan Launches Massive 2-Crore Cattle Vaccination Drive to Stamp Out Foot Mouth Disease

The Rajasthan government will vaccinate more than two crore cattle heads under the seventh phase of its foot-and-mouth disease control programme, officials said on Tuesday. The seventh phase of the statewide campaign, which was launched by Animal Husbandry Minister Joraram Kumawat from the Ramdev Gaushala in Bagru near Jaipur, aims to vaccinate 2.32 crore cows and buffaloes across all districts, officials said. Foot-and-mouth (FMD) is a contagious viral disease affecting livestock, including cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats, characterised by fever and blister-like sores on the mouth, tongue and hooves. Kumawat appealed to the livestock owners to ensure vaccination of all cattle heads to protect them from the infectious disease. "This will improve animal health and help increase the income of farmers," he said.

According to an official statement, the minister directed the concerned officials and veterinarians to complete the vaccination drive in a time-bound manner to achieve the target of making the state free from the disease by 2030. Director in the animal husbandry department, Suresh Meena, said FMD is a highly infectious disease that affects the productivity of livestock and causes financial losses to farmers.

The officials said teams from the animal husbandry department will carry out door-to-door vaccination drives in the villages and monitor the process continuously to ensure maximum coverage.

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