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ANIMAL HUSBANDRY IN THE MEDIA
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Srinagar,
June 15: The animal husbandry department has started investigating the
outbreak of certain migratory and resident diseases in livestock,
including the vaccinated lot. The outbreak is seen as a result of
weather conditions that prevailed in the valley for quite some time.
Secretary
animal husbandry, Ravi Thusu, Sunday said though the situation was
under control, but reports of some sporadic cases of eruption of the
disease in cattle at Nowgam area of Srinagar has forced the department
to sound an alert.
A team of departmental officers comprising of a
Joint Director, two deputy directors and some junior officers had a
recce of Nowgam, Padshahi Bagh and Soiteng, Thusu told Greater Kashmir.
The team found that out of 1105 cattle being reared in the area, 840
stood vaccinated. The team found that the disease had affected even
some vaccinated cattle, though with lower intensity.
Eight new
born calves have died due to the disease while the morbidity has gone
up to nearly 30 percent. Thusu said that department has pressed into
service, different teams from the Institute of Animal Health and
Biological Products to collect sera and other morbid material from the
affected animals. The department is also summoning the departmental
epidemiologist from Jammu and have the disease investigated through the
Hissar based Lab of All India Coordinated Project on FMD.
Sporadic
cases of the disease outbreak were also noticed in Srinagar suburbs
like Pandach and Buchpora besides Wachi in Pulwama, Arwani, Kharpora
and Nowgam in Anantnag, Daphal in Machil area and Lolab, Kalaroos in
Kupwara area. Similar reports have also poured in from from
Tossamaidaan in Budgam. “Timely measures taken by the department has
helped in checking the further spread of the disease. There has been no
report of the disease outbreak in Homshalibugh of Islamabad district,”
the department spokesperson said.
“The disease is of economic
connotations but we need not to panic even in the face of an outbreak,”
said Dr J L Mattoo, Joint Director IAH&BP, Zakura. “The farmers
need to segregate the healthy animals from affected animals
particularly the newborn calves, which are the most susceptible to the
infection and usually succumb to it,” added Dr F A Kaloo, Deputy
Director of the department. Dr Kaloo said that the department has
traced the infection roots to some migratory goats that move to
highland pastures in Kashmir from the Jammu region.
“These
animals after moving long distances are tired, have compromised
immunity and add to it the freak weather conditions in which they had
to traverse the inhospitable terrain, the animals therefore contract
the infection and spread it to other animal species coming in contact
on the way,” said Dr Kaloo. “In the Nowgam case the local cattle
contracted the infection from one of the migratory sheep & goat
flocks, which were stationed there for a few days before moving ahead
to highland pastures.”
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