The vaccination for Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is in no way harmful to the livestock contrary to the negative publicity it has received of late, District Animal Husbandry Officer John Kattakkayam has said.
In a pressnote issued in the backdrop of a recent controversy that a cow at Koyilandy was in critical condition after it was vaccinated, the veterinarian explained that the cow’s death was not connected to the vaccination.
An FMD control programme is being implemented in Kozhikode district since October 7 and will conclude on November 4. The district has had most number of vaccinations in the State as part of the programme, with over 5,500 heads of cattle vaccinated every day. Around 70,000 animals have been vaccinated in the district so far under the programme and none of them have had any problems, Dr. Kattakkayam said.
The controversy was over the infection of the cow belonging to a dairy farmer in Koyilandy municipality. He had had six of his cows vaccinated on October 20. The vaccination was administered by the livestock inspector at Koyilandy Veterinary Hospital. One of the cows developed a swelling on one leg on the next day. Senior Veterinary Surgeon A.J. Joy visited the house of the farmer and provided treatment to the cow. But the cows’s situation worsened in a few days. The cow was suffering from Babesiosis, a disease that destroys the red blood cells. Though effective treatment is available for the disease, there are records for the germs showing immunity against the available medicine. But there had been reports in local media that the cow’s infection was due to vaccination and that the vaccination was administered by an attendant at the hospital. Dr. Kattakkayam claimed that the reports were false and that no one had sought an explanation from the doctors concerned.
He urged the public to pay no heed to rumours and to promote the vaccination programme to protect the livestock.
Veterinarian says death of a cow at Koyilandy was not connected to the vaccination.
