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Report by Akshya Rout; Jajpur: The foot and mouth (F and M) disease that killed more than a million cattle-heads in Europe and India in 2001 has struck many villages in Jajpur.. About 65 cattle died after suffering from the suspected disease within a month in the district.
Little has been done to curb the disease first detected in April this year in the district. Only after it spread to many villages did the authority wake up, to announce a contingency plan to check the spread of the disease.
The district veterinary officials are now high alert and the district administration told them to be ready “day and night” in the head quarters to treat the affected cattle. “More than 1.5 lakh cattle heads have already been vaccinated in Balichandrapur, Chatia, Bari , Binjharpur and other areas areas of the district , said chief district veterinary officer.
The disease so far is confined to rural areas of the district and has reached an alarming stage in some villages under some areas of the district. The chief district veterinary officer (CDVO) has recently convened a meeting and reviewed the steps taken to fight the disease.
“We sent blood samples of 30 affected cattle to the Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI) in Bhubenswer to know the exact disease. The officials of ADRI sent the blood samples to the Orissa Veterinary College(OVC) in Bhubenswer for further examination.
The scientists of OVC have recently informed us that that the cattle of the district are suffering due to plant poisoning or soil and mineral deficiency”, added the officer.
Large number of cattle are now suffering from the disease. The disease has now added to the farmers’ woes in a district where 80 percent of the people are farmers. Jajpur lead the other districts in cattle wealth, but one problem after another may soon lead to a major crisis, said Basanta Das of Jajpur.
The suspected foot and mouth disease was first detected two months back in village Balichandrapur and Bari where six cattle died . Reports from other remote areas of the district are alarming, and the numbers of foot and mouth disease affected cattleheads may be more than the reported toll, said Gayadhar Dhal the secretary of district Krusaka Sabha.
Initially the district veterinary officials of the district, district administration and agriculture officials did not react. But it sat up after alarming reports began pouring in many parts of the district and its nearby areas. The disease affected cattle lost weight and they give little milk as a result the fate of about ten thousand milkmen of the district hangs in balance.
“ I have recently informed the director of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary to send a team to visit the affected areas and the director assured me to depute a team to visit many affected villages shortly”, added the Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO).
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