100% Animals will be Vaccinated Against Foot & Mouth Disease by 2025: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised on Monday that by 2025, all animals in India would be vaccinated against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis. PM Modi expressed concern about livestock losses caused by Lumpy skin disease, saying, "In the recent past, there has been a loss of livestock in many states of India due to the Lumpy skin disease."

“The central government, in collaboration with various state governments, is attempting to exert control over it. In addition, our scientists have developed an indigenous vaccine for Lumpy Skin Disease. We're also ramping up testing."

While speaking at the World Dairy Summit, the Prime Minister stated that India is emphasizing animal vaccination. "We are also emphasizing universal animal vaccination. We have decided that by 2025, we will have vaccinated all animals against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis. We hope to be completely free of these diseases by the end of this decade," he said.

The lumpy disease has only been found in cows and buffaloes. Humans are not endangered by eating meat or drinking milk from animals that do not exhibit Lumpy symptoms. Animals can be cured of Lumpy; however, their milk may be contaminated by the virus. According to reports, lumpy skin disease is a viral infection that affects cattle. It is spread by blood-feeding insects such as flies and mosquitoes, as well as ticks. It causes fever and skin nodules, and it can cause cattle to die.

Meanwhile, to help the country's livestock, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar launched the indigenous vaccine Lumpi- ProVac on August 10 to protect livestock from Lumpy skin disease. The vaccine was developed in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar, by the National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana).

Since the disease arrived in India in 2019, research institutes have been working to develop a vaccine. The Prime Minister was speaking at the opening of the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit (IDF WDS) 2022, which was held at the India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, the four-day IDF WDS 2022, which will take place from September 12 to 15, is a gathering of global and Indian dairy stakeholders, including industry leaders, experts, farmers, and policy planners, centered on the theme of 'Dairy for Nutrition and Livelihood.' IDF WDS 2022 is expected to attract 1,500 participants from 50 countries. The last such Summit was held in India in 1974, nearly half a century ago.