The Union government has decided to establish foot-and-mouth disease-free zones in eight States — Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat — in a bid to expand export opportunities for Indian animal products, and enhance the country’s global market presence.
Advanced vaccination efforts are underway in these States, according to Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying Alka Upadhyaya. She was speaking at a workshop on ‘Animal Infectious Disease Prioritisation’ organised jointly with the Food and Agriculture Organisation on Saturday.
Such collaborative efforts are aimed at improving animal health, Ms. Upadhyaya said. The workshop prioritised 20 major animal infectious diseases, selected based on their severity, transmissibility, available interventions, impact, prevalence, and national importance. “An action plan was formulated, focusing on five critical areas: coordination, communication, monitoring and surveillance, prevention and control, therapeutics, and socio-economic and contingency planning,” the government said in a statement after the three-day workshop.
It was also decided to strengthen animal disease prioritisation exercises at the regional level across the country. “This approach aims to address region-specific animal diseases, ensuring tailored and effective disease control and prevention strategies,” the statement said.