Foot and mouth disease caused by FMD virus is a contagious infectious disease which spreads very fast from one animal to another if any animal at the farm is affected by the virus. This information was shared by Dr. Deepti Narang, HoD, Veterinary Microbiology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana.
Three Types of FMD Virus
She informed that the loss of animals has been noticed from some areas of Punjab so it is important to take precautionary measures. She said that three types of FMD virus are prevalent, O, A & Asia-1 among which O is most prevalent. The virus affects cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and pigs but severely affects the mulch cattle. So affects the dairy farmer economically due to loss of milk production and loss of productive animals.
Moreover, this season is heavily prone to the occurrence of such types of infections in the animals and once at the farm spreads rapidly. So, it is of utmost importance to take extra care before and during the rainy season. Vaccination for FMD must be done to protect the animals and should be done every 6 months. The vaccine can protect from all the three prevalent types (O, A, and Asia-1) of the FMD virus. Prevention of viral disease is very important to save our valuable cattle.
To achieve this biosecurity measures at the farm should be undertaken like keeping the farm area clean and hygienic. The milking machines, ropes, feed and fodder and other equipment used for diseased animal should not be used for other healthy animals at the farm. The animal attendants should take extra hygienic measures while attending the diseased animals and should not attend the healthy animals.
The farm should be disinfected regularly and overcrowding of the animals at the farm should be avoided. The dairy farmer can easily identify the diseased animal as the signs of disease are very obvious like high fever, vesicles in mouth and foot, excessive salivation. If these signs are seen, the animal should be isolated from rest of the animals at the farm.
The samples must be got tested from the laboratories and appropriate treatment from the veterinary doctor should be taken to control FMD at the farm and protect the animals. There is a National program of the government to protect animals from FMD by vaccinating them, so do get the animals vaccinated regularly.
