2.66 lakh female calves to be vaccinated in Jammu and Kashmir against 'Brucellosis'  

NADCP programme in coordination with the J&K Department of Animal Husbandry is aimed at puttingan end to the ‘Brucellosis’ disease before it turns fatal for both cattle as well as humans. 

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Live-Stock Development Board, Jammu, Dr Daljeet Singh Bindra toldGreater Kashmir, that under first phase of ‘Brucellosis’ in J&K, the female-calves of 4 to 8 months will bevaccinated for ‘Brucellosis’ using Cotton-Strain 19 vaccine to stop the spread of this contagious disease. 

The disease gets transmitted from animals to humans while working in close contact or milking theinfected animals.

 It transmits from infected animals like cow, buffalos, sheep, goat, pigs, dogs and others to humans.Vaccination drive against ‘Brucellosis’ will be undertaken in the second phase of NADCP. Under the firstphase of NADCP, the first phase of vaccination against ‘Foot and Mouth Disease’ (FMD) has already beencompleted. 

Second phase of NADCP is going to start in the month of April-May and thereafter, the‘Brucellosis’ vaccination drive will start in J&K, Dr Bindra informed. 

“We conduct milk and blood serum rapid antigen, rapid antigen and other similar tests of the cattle. Wehave to maintain proper hygiene and sanitization to avoid transmission of disease,” he said. 

He informed, “Raw milk should not be consumed and it should be pasteurized (boiled milk) beforeconsumption.

The disease transmitted from animals to humans, being a ‘zoonotic disease’, spreadsthrough consumption of unpasteurized milk and other milk products obtained from infected animals.”
 Since it’s a bacterial disease, the official said, “It also gets transmitted if one (be it human being oranimal) comes in contact with discharges and tissues of the infected animals.” 

Dr Bindra said that the disease was reported in some farmers yet they were cured successfully. 

The official said, “It leads to abortions and infertility problem among the animals and in humans; itnormally causes fever and loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, joint pains, etc.Though these incidentsare less, the Government of India wants to control the disease among animals from transmitting inhumans.”