Published Date: 2021-09-26 19:42:29
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Foot & mouth disease - India (06): (KA) cattle, spread, RFI
Archive Number: 20210926.8698732
FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE - INDIA (06): (KARNATAKA) CATTLE, SPREAD, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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Date: Fri 24 Sep 2021 18:33 IST
Source: The Hindu [abridged, edited]
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/foot-and-mouth-disease-reported-in-hassan/article36652024.ece
An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) among cattle in Hassan has left both farmers and veterinarians worried.
Cases have been reported from Arkalgud, Arsikere, Channarayapatna, and Sakleshpur taluks. While the farming community, depending on cattle for regular income, is worried about their livelihood, the veterinarians are struggling hard to provide treatment amidst a shortage of staff members.
The Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry has reported over 150 cases in the district so far. As of Friday [24 Sep 2021], the animals in 16 villages of the district are being treated. So far, the death of one animal had been reported. However, farmers claim more animals have died over the last one month. The [disease] of cattle has an impact on milk production, affecting milk producers.
The vaccination for cattle is done once in 6 months under the National Animal Disease Control Programme. However, the vaccination drive was not done in the last one year, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Considering the cases, the department has launched a ring vaccination programme. Under this, the animals in a 5 km [3.1 mi] radius of the village where the disease outbreak was reported would be vaccinated. "We have sufficient stock for the ring vaccination. We are planning a mass vaccination in October [2021], where we will cover 658 000 animals," said K.R. Ramesh, Deputy Director of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry in Hassan.
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[The susceptibility of domestic ruminants in Karnataka, and possibly in southern Asia and elsewhere, remaining unvaccinated due to the COVID-19 pandemic is of concern within and beyond the Indian subcontinent. "The Southern Asia ecosystem represents a 'mixing vessel' that maintains FMD viruses prior to their movement via livestock trade pathways, primarily westwards to West Eurasia and further into North Africa, but also in a more limited fashion to the north into the Central Asian region."
(https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab172; see full citation below. Special attention to Figure 3 (a, b): "Spatial dynamics of FMDV dispersal within Western and Southern Asia." In Figure 3b, please note the time of the most recent sample.)
The Indian subcontinent has been a source of FMD, in particular of serotype O, spreading internationally several times during recent decades. Hence, the success in controlling the disease in India, mainly depending upon the efficacy and safety of the vaccines applied, is of importance beyond this subcontinent.
Genotyping results of the FMD virus strain currently circulating in Karnataka and in other territories in India and their matching rate of the applied vaccine would be of interest. The publication of such data and sharing samples and/or FMDV sequences with other FMD laboratories will serve FMD prevention elsewhere (the India page of the WRLFMD does not present any genotyping results; https://www.wrlfmd.org/southern-asia/india#panel-9142). - Mod.AS
Citation: Di Nardo A, Ferretti L, Wadsworth J, et al.: Evolutionary and Ecological Drivers Shape the Emergence and Extinction of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Lineages. Mol Biol Evol. 2021; https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab172.
HealthMap/ProMED map of Hassan, Karnataka, India: http://healthmap.org/promed/p/17562]