Animal vaccination drive begins in the country

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) has launched a cattle vaccination drive against Foot-and-Mouth (FMD) disease and brucellosis in the country.

FMD disease is a contagious and viral disease which infects cows, sheep and goats. There is no cure for the disease yet but the animals must be vaccinated against it in order to prevent the disease.

Brucellosis or undulant fever is a contagious zoonosis which infects cows, sheep or goats and transfer to humans. The disease effects blood generating cells, bone marrow, liver and other parts of human organism.

Deputy agriculture and livestock minister Shir ShahAmiri in today’s ceremony in Kabul said initially the Foot-and-Mouth (FMD)  vaccination drive would be implemented in Logar, Maidan Wardak, Kabul, Nangarhar, Kunduz, Kandahar, Balkh, Bamyan and Herat provinces and then the Brucellosis vaccination drive would be implemented in the remaining 25 provinces.

He added the categorization is based on the needs.

The Deputy Minister said the vaccination would be implemented within the timeframe of one month on female goats and sheep between three to six months old and female calf of three to ten months old. He said six million doses of the vaccine would be enough for the cattle with above characteristics.

Amiri added that similar programs which cost around 35m afghanis to be implemented each year.

According to the deputy minister, there are 30 million livestock in Afghanistan and the overall value of dairy products of the country reach $2.2m, adding the value of these products would double with the implementation of these two vaccines.

Director of Animal health at MAIL, SayedMukhtarMohsini said same vaccination drive had been launched in 2009 and was continued for two years but then stopped due to lack of budget.

Dairy stores in-charge in Kabul, ShahJahanNasiri in the ceremony welcomed the vaccination drive and urged the government to continue with the program and also find market for the dairy products.

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