MASS IMMUNISATION DRIVE AGAINST LUMPY SKIN DISEASE IN PUNJAB FROM TODAY

MASS IMMUNISATION DRIVE

• 25 Lakh doses of Goat Pox vaccine procured with Rs 78.75 lakh, says Gurmeet Singh Khudian

Chandigarh, February 24:

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government will commence the mass inoculation drive for cattle as a preventive measure against the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) from February 25, said Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, Punjab, while informing that the state has procured 25 lakh doses of Goat Pox vaccine at a cost of Rs 78.75 lakh from Telangana State Veterinary Biological & Research Institution, Hyderabad.

The Cabinet Minister stated that Punjab State Veterinary Vaccine Institute, Ludhiana, has distributed the vaccine to all the districts. Additionally, the minister specified that the state government and private Gaushalas will administer the vaccine free of cost to all the cattle population of the state, including cattle ponds, under this drive.

Gurmeet Singh Khudian announced that the state has appointed the Joint Director RDDL, Jalandhar, as a nodal officer to efficiently execute the immunization drive. Punjab Animal Husbandry department has also set up a control-room at state level, besides, setting up district level control-rooms at the offices of Deputy Directors of Animal Husbandry department. The department has also issued a helpline number 0172-2217084 to help the livestock farmers.

He said that now, the Goat Pox vaccine is being repeated for the third time as a booster dose to prevent the disease. He also asked the officials to maintain the cold chain efficiently and sensitise the livestock farmers about the benefits of the MASS IMMUNISATION DRIVE.