Lumpy Skin disease shot: Punjab to cover gaushalas in 3 days

CHANDIGARH: The group of ministers formed to monitor the situation and take necessary steps for the control of Lumpy Skin disease (LSD) in Punjab on Tuesday directed the animal husbandry department to vaccinate all bovine in gaushalas within three days.
Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, agriculture minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and animal husbandry minister Laljit Singh Bhullar directed that 50,000 cattle be vaccinated daily.“Any lackadaisical approach in the ongoing prevention work will not be tolerated,” they said. They also instructed that show cause notices be issued to employees with poor performance and that all holidays of the staff be cancelled to ensure timely treatment to the animals. They also asked to use the generic medicines as per requirement.
Reviewing the ongoing operations to prevent African swine fever, the ministers said that guidelines of the “Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009” should be implemented in letter and spirit and the movement of pigs strictly banned.
Principal secretary of the animal husbandry department Vikas Pratap apprised the ministers that they have received 6.86 lakh doses of goat pox vaccine till date. Over 3.31 lakh cattle have been vaccinated, while more than 3.54 lakh doses of goat pox vaccine are available with the department. He informed that of the 1,08,958 animals suspected to have been affected by LSD, 64,475 are cured.